


On the Equinox

by lodgedinmythoughts



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Steve Rogers, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Basically everyone's a shifter, Breeding Kink, Claiming Bites, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Jealous Steve Rogers, Knotting, Love Triangles, Love/Hate, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Misunderstandings, Omega Reader, Pining, Possessive Steve Rogers, Size Kink, Slight Strange/Reader, Slow Burn, Well more like shifters, Werewolf Mates, Werewolf Steve Rogers, werewolf reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-09-25 03:48:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 45,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lodgedinmythoughts/pseuds/lodgedinmythoughts
Summary: As a shifter in the Stark pack, you've grown to accept your new life. You're finally content as an Omega, but it isn't until circumstances force you to work together with an Alpha in the form of one Steve Rogers that your world is yet again turned upside down. And with an adversary out there on a quest for vengeance, the very existence of your kind is no longer a guarantee.-ON HIATUS-





	1. Meet-Not-Cute

**Author's Note:**

> I…don't know. I've been reading a lot of paranormal romance lately and this is the result that came outta nowhere. Please don't take this too seriously. No knowing how long this'll be but it probably won't be thaaat long bc I have an inability to finish long stories, so I'm trying to keep it a little more compact in the hopes that I'll actually finish it. And uhhh I'm hoping to maybe add a plot other than just Reader & Steve getting together but yeah, don't expect anything too complex 'cause I suck at plot. lbr I have no idea what I'm doing here or ever. :'D
> 
> Updates will likely be spotty SORRY. Rated E for the tags that are to come sometime down the road. ;)

Like a second North Star, the radiant full moon gleamed down on the forest floor. The dappled moonlight illuminated your path as you ran through the copse of trees and hopped over jutting roots with practiced ease. You didn’t bother masking the sound of crisp, fallen leaves giving way underneath your paws. There likely wasn’t a soul around for miles anyway, and you wanted to relish the autumn wind beating against your fur without having to pay heed to any humans who, for whatever reason, might have found themselves out in the woods at night.

You were being reckless. A human catching sight of you could spell bad news. Even considered on the smaller side as an Omega, you were still substantially larger than a run-of-the-mill wolf. But a significant part of you, the one that was ruled by your instincts, couldn’t seem to care. And the likelihood of running into someone was slim to none.

The Harvest Moon was already underway. Every year, packs gathered together to celebrate the full moon closest to the autumn equinox. It was a tradition that aged back more than centuries, though its precise origins were unknown. The intent to join together to perform ancient rites and commune with nature—both that of the outdoors and of the duality residing within each shifter present—harkened back to the old days when shifters and humans alike were much more prone to superstition.

Over the centuries, however, what started as a solemn night trickled into an occasion whose sole purpose was merriment. In other words, it was a party. People mingled, formed alliances, and some even met their mates. It was a night meant to lighten spirits.

The Harvest Moon of every region was held at a different location every year, and tonight, the various packs of the tri-state area would congregate at the Stark pack compound.

The upstate New York base was a collection of converted warehouse and storage units owned by Tony’s late father. Ever the modern man, Tony had the facilities entirely refurbished until they met his exacting standards and every inch screamed sleek modernity. Floor-length windows were lined up along the walls, and every appliance and device within were nothing less than state of the art. The view of the Hudson right at the edge of the compound was magnificent, and the privacy afforded by the compound’s remote location was a must. It was your haven.

It was a little past midnight and you’d slowed to a trot. You were coming up on the clearing in the woods near the compound where the moonlight shined unfiltered on the verdant grass, muted as it was in the dark. You liked to take your time crossing that particular small field. If the compound was your haven, the clearing was your haven within a haven.

It was just as well that you were in the mood for a slower pace after your exhilarating solo run through the woods. The night breeze whispered through the soft bristles of your fur as you stepped toward the clearing. One paw was just about to cross the threshold when a sudden movement up ahead stopped you.

Immediately retreating, you inched back into the perceived safety of the woods, watching from the shroud of darkness.

Another wolf had leapt into the clearing from the right, about halfway from your spot at one end of the woods to the other line of trees up ahead. Its size and the almost human-like intelligence in its movements immediately gave it away as a shifter. It was huge, even for its kind.

This was no regular wolf. This was an Alpha.

When you got over your initial shock, you were better able to concentrate on the shade of its fur. It was hard to tell even with the glow of the full moon above, but you thought the hue you spied was tan, akin to the color of sawdust. You were also able to spot the patch of dark brown on the wolf’s back and its two hind legs.

Your breath hitched in your throat. If your observations were correct, the wolf in the clearing was none other than Steve Rogers, Alpha of the Rogers pack based in New York City.

He slowed to a stop, simply turning his gaze up at the moon. His head cocked to the side in a manner that was unsettlingly human as though he was contemplating the orb’s existence.

Even doing nothing but staring at the moon, he was a sight to behold. His plentiful, downy fur rustled with the breeze and the pure strength radiated from his entire being. Standing there still and silent, he was majestic, a study in all the magnificence a male of any kind could hope to possess.

Why was he staring up at the moon? Contrary to popular belief, the full moon didn’t have much of an effect on shifters, perhaps other than a slight heightening of strength and healing abilities. So what about the moon was captivating Steve at the present moment? And why did he look almost…doleful?

Before you could give it any more thought, and without warning, he turned his head. And looked right at you.

You drew back further on instinct, confident enough that the low-hanging branches and general foliage of the woods masked your position. There was no way he could see you.

Peeking out from behind a thick tree trunk, you saw him in the distance, still in the same stance, still looking right in your direction. You couldn’t see his eyes from there, but you knew what they looked like. A brilliant, luminous sky blue. They could have rivaled his eyes in human form.

You shifted again so you were hidden by the trees, thinking maybe if you didn’t watch the pot boil it would do it on its own. Heart beating wildly, you chanced another glance to see if he was still there. Cautiously, you peeked out from behind the tree a second time.

He was gone.

You didn’t know why you were so surprised. It probably should have been expected to see another wolf out and about, what with the Harvest Moon being held at the nearby compound and all the shifters who were sure to attend.

No. You were surprised because it was Steve. There was just something about the man that made you attuned to his very presence. You didn’t see him all that much, but when you did, you were like a live wire around him, threatening to burst at even the slightest hint of a touch.

It wasn’t like he was frightening. He wasn’t. Though that wasn’t to say he wasn’t dangerous when he needed to be. He was an Alpha for a reason. He was powerful, and a born leader if you ever saw one. He was physically tough and a tactician, exhibiting a generally more serious disposition than many of his cohorts. But when he smiled—and you never did get to see it much—by gods, was he beautiful.

And he exuded safety. As part of the Stark pack, your loyalties naturally lay with them. But the Rogers pack was an undeniably strong ally and you’d met with them on multiple occasions before. Something about their collective confidence and competence reminded you of your own pack. It was the feeling of security. Belonging.

And the other pack leader, most of all, had a way about him that made you want to follow him, believe in him. Made you want…him. Begged for him to claim you and mark you as his mate.

Steve was a prime male and therefore, the notion that you might have been alone in wanting him was laughable. You were sure every available woman inclined to find males attractive would have given her left arm to be with him, no matter human or shifter, no matter the distance. He was a good Alpha, and you could only imagine what he’d be like as a mate. To have him be yours and for you to be his for the rest of your natural lives.

But you didn’t want to imagine. Because he never gave you the time of day, barely even glanced your way when you were in the same vicinity. Whenever he visited the compound on pack business, he usually greeted the others in that staid, cordial manner of his while giving you the briefest of glances before going on his way.

He knew who you were, which wasn’t a surprise seeing as it had been about a year since Tony took you in, but he probably thought you were some insignificant little Omega who didn’t have much to offer the pack.

But another, more rational part of you told you that wasn’t the kind of man Steve was. He wasn’t the kind to write someone off based on their status, whether it was in the pack or in the strictly human world.

So, the truth was you didn’t know. You didn’t know why Steve barely acknowledged that you existed.

You knew you’d go crazy from too much speculating, however. And something told you that you’d only make a bigger mess of things if you were to miraculously pluck up the courage and demand to know the reasoning. Well, as much demanding as one could do to an Alpha anyway. So, after enough frustration, you’d resigned yourself to grudgingly tolerating the way your wolf secretly longed and ached for him deep down—very, _very_ deep down.

As long as it was your wolf, you could keep a lid on it. She was a baser part of you, one that largely ran on instinct and didn’t give a damn about the social nuances and decorum of the human world. It didn’t mean she was unimportant, but sometimes you had to tamp down certain urges in order to function in civilized society. And secretly desiring an unattainable Alpha such as Steve with an indescribable intensity you’d never known before in your life was not very conducive to functioning properly.

After scanning the area to make sure the coast was clear, you stepped out into the clearing.

All around, you felt emptiness. No hint of any soul of a similarly minded creature. You were alone once again.

You stared up at the moon the way Steve had, waiting for some revelation to come. But other than the wondrous expanse of its totality on that night, it was a moon like any other.

You lollygagged about the field for a short while before resuming the course to your destination. You knew Steve had been on his way to the Harvest Moon when you came upon him. If you timed it right, you’d arrive a good enough time after him so as not to draw too much attention to yourself.

After some time, you made it to your chosen tree that had a sizable, natural hollow carved out at eye level. Shaking out your fur like a dog after a bath, you facilitated the shift, and when next you opened your eyes, you were on the ground nude, hunched over on your hands and knees.

After taking a second to regain your bearings, you wobbled to your feet, pulled the bag of clothes from the tree, and dressed.

The designated tree wasn’t far from the riverbank, so you didn’t have long to go before you made it to the party, taming your hair as you went. You could already hear some of the noise in the distance as well as spot the brilliant red-orange flames of the bonfire. With the fire and sounds up ahead to guide you, you traversed the woods.

You were right at the edge of the party, just about to clear the woods, when you walked straight into a brick wall. Or what may as well have been.

Strong hands gripped your upper arms when you stepped back on reflex. You wouldn’t have been able to get away even if you wanted to.

You looked up, and your stomach plummeted straight to the ground. Your heart came to a standstill.

Glaring down at you with blue eyes glimmering from the moonlight and flames was none other than Steve Rogers.


	2. Flames

“Sorry,” you mumbled, face leagues hotter than it should have been even with the fire nearby.

“You all right?” Steve asked, the deep, rich timbre of his voice sounding far too intimate in the low lighting. His hands remained clasped around your arms.

“Yeah.”

To say you were surprised yet again was a vast understatement. Bumping into Steve was the last thing you’d expected before arriving at the riverbank.

Up close, he was a force to be reckoned with. The sheer power poured off of him in waves. With broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and biceps practically thicker than your head, he wasn’t unnaturally brawny in that unappealing sort of way. Instead, he was just the right kind of fit to make your brain go haywire. Your wolf simply wanted him to throw you down on the forest floor and take you right then and there.

And his eyes. Those were something else. They were a mesmerizing cerulean, variegated with a swirling mix of blue-green and ringed with a blue so dark it took on the appearance of cobalt. They were searing, jewel-like eyes, shimmering with the brilliance of nebulae. One could fall into them, transfixed and perplexed, and be lost in the cosmos forever.

The force of those eyes wasn’t dulled in the least by the dark of night. The flames danced among the sapphire and jade, hinting at their infinite depths. It was almost too much just to have him settle that gaze on you.

Which was why you told yourself it should have been a good thing he never did much of that anyway.

His hands were still clamped around your arms like vises and you were almost certain his nostrils flared before going back to normal. Why was he so angry?

The solid, imposing mass of him hindered your view of the others up ahead. When he noticed your discreet attempt to peek past him, he seemed to come to his senses. As though shaken out of a trance, he promptly released his hold on you and took a lumbering step back, giving you room to breathe. The residual heat of his touch left your skin feeling branded even with the added layer of clothes.

He didn’t appear as though he was going to say anything else any time soon, so you gave him an awkward nod.

“I was just heading over there,” you said with a mild gesture in the direction of the bonfire. Your tongue felt extra heavy in your mouth.

With eyes still guarded, he nodded and angled his body to the side, a wordless invitation for you to pass.

You didn’t need to be told twice. Tight smile on your face, you passed him as swiftly as you could without seeming too hasty. As you moved, your arm brushed up against his firm torso, and you were torn between wanting to pull back like you’d been burned and wanting to burrow yourself into his chest completely.

When you made it past him at a safe enough distance, you glanced over your shoulder without thinking. Steve was still standing where he was, staring at you.

You whipped back around and headed to where more people were scattered about. You greeted some familiar faces as you went and took in those that weren’t. There were more than a few good-looking men who’d showed up tonight.

Any thoughts of good-looking men had your mind immediately swerving back to Steve. You resisted looking back at him, if he was even still there.

When you reached the bonfire, you drew more attention than you were hoping to receive.

“Well, well, well, look who decided to grace us with her presence. Fancy seeing you, your highness,” Clint teased, beer in hand. He belonged to the Rogers pack and you’d instantly taken a liking to him. You suspected that if you were to grow closer, he could become like a brother to you.

“You look like you just got in a fight with the wind. And lost.” This was from Wanda, another member of the Rogers pack, as she fetched you a beer from the nearby cooler. You gratefully accepted.

“I really look that bad?” you asked before taking a swig from the bottle.

“Hey, don’t sweat it,” said Clint. “A lot of guys dig the whole windswept look. Makes ’em think of a few other things if you catch my drift.”

Wanda swatted him on the arm. “Don’t be gross.”

You rolled your eyes. “Thanks, Clint.”

The others around the fire, most of whom you didn’t recognize, looked on with amusement. As introductions were made, you found out they’d traveled from all around the region, from neighboring cities or bordering states. Two in particular, however, had traveled a substantially farther distance.

Thor, Alpha of the Odinson pack in Norway, and Brunnhilde, his enforcer and second-in-command who typically went by the name of Valkyrie, stood at the other side of the fire, exuding a brute sort of confidence. It was common enough for shifters to attend any Harvest Moon they pleased regardless of distance, but you certainly hadn’t expected to meet the storied Alpha and one of his Betas after hearing tales of their physical prowess.

Valkyrie tipped her chin up at you nonchalantly. “How do you do?”

“Hi,” you greeted her and Thor with a smile. They were vastly different in appearance—one was a strapping blond hulk of a man who seemed to tower over everyone and the other was a toned, petite brunette who had a twinkle in her eye that said she was in on some secret joke. Regardless, their energies meshed, and the two seemed inexplicably to work in sync.

“Barton here was just telling us about you,” said Thor.

“Really?” You turned to Clint.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” said Clint. “He-Man over here was just asking after the goings-on of our neck of the woods.”

“He-Man? Is that supposed to be an insult?” Thor’s brows dipped in confusion. Valkyrie snickered.

“Trust me, I know better than to insult a fella who looks like you,” Clint said with a mild, amicable smile.

“So what exactly has Clint been saying about me, then?” you asked.

A warm hand clapped your shoulder and a cavalier tone of voice sounded near your ear. “Just that you hustled your way into the pack, nearly killing Clint in the process, and are holding all of us at perpetual gunpoint in order for us to do your bidding. In other words, the usual.”

You looked over your shoulder to find your Alpha, Tony, smiling casually down at you. “Tony. You know I don’t appreciate you giving away all my secrets like that,” you said sardonically.

“Just giving back to the world. Peace and goodwill and all that.”

“How are Pepper and Morgan? Pepper here tonight?” you asked. Tony and Pepper lived in a lakeside cabin about fifteen minutes away from the compound. Before Morgan was born, they’d sought a better environment to raise their daughter in, and while Tony was still Alpha of the pack, Rhodey, his diplomat and second-in-command, was in charge of the compound when Tony wasn’t there.

“Nah, babysitter bailed last minute. Afraid you’re stuck with me tonight.” Tony made a cursory, sweeping gesture that encompassed the rest of the group. “I’m assuming names have been exchanged, hands have been shaken, all the usual stuff.”

“You assumed right,” Thor said. “The compound is quite magnificent, Tony. Striking even from afar.”

Tony nodded to Thor with his hands clasped behind his back. “Thank you, Thor. Figure I gotta keep the property value up somehow.” He looked to the spot where you’d left Steve. “Oh, God, what’s Rogers up to now?” he seemed to ask more of himself.

Everyone followed his gaze to the tree line where Steve emerged from the woods, looking no more thrilled to be there than when you ran into him.

Tony turned back to you, stance a little too deliberate to be entirely casual. He spoke in a lowered voice so the others were less likely to hear. “Hey, last time I checked, you’re single, right? Plenty of men here ready to mingle.”

“Thanks for the interest in my love life, Tony, but I’m good.”

“Hey, just checking. Not exactly unheard of for folks to come away from these things having met their one and only.” He turned back to the group. “Well, it seems it’s once again incumbent upon me to take my leave and perform my duties as host. Enjoy the festivities.”

Offering everyone a parting smile, he split off from the group and headed toward Steve, greeting others as he went. You watched discreetly as the two Alphas met up at the tree line and exchanged words, looking far more serious than was warranted on a night such as tonight.

Did Steve know it was you hiding in the woods? You couldn’t spot anything abnormal about the man when you’d bumped into him. Intimidating as he was, it was what you’d expected from him. So maybe he’d convinced himself it was nothing and no one was actually there. You hoped so. You didn’t need the extra embarrassment of having been caught watching him, even if he was the one who’d interrupted your run.

“In the mood for a solo run tonight?” Wanda’s voice pulled you back to your immediate surroundings. Everyone had already gone back to chatting.

“Oh. Yeah, it’s sort of the perfect night, isn’t it? I can’t stand the stifling summer heat, even at night. I’m so glad autumn’s coming around,” you said.

“Well, you landed the right place. Even though my hometown was pretty densely populated, this place reminds me more of Sokovia than the city ever has.”

“You know, I’ve been meaning to ask about that. How do you deal with being shifters in New York anyway? Where do you go?”

Wanda shrugged. “If we really feel the need to shift for whatever reason, we have the whole penthouse to do it.”

“Is that really the only place you can shift? You can’t go outside or anything?”

“I can’t see how that would end well for anyone. So no, we just stick to doing it indoors.”

“Does that mean you guys don’t really shift all that often?”

“Compared to packs in more rural areas, I guess that’s true. But we leave the city sometimes when we need to get away. That’s when we can really be free.” Her gaze shifted somewhere to her left. “Oh, look, Natasha’s over there. Come on.”

The two of you crossed the bank to where the red-haired diplomat of the Rogers pack stood gazing out at the water after her conversational partner had just left.

Her neutral expression shifted to one of pleasant surprise when she noticed your approach, and she pulled you in for a hug. “Hey there, long time no see. Didn’t know when I’d be seeing you tonight.”

“Good to see you, Natasha. I was just out for a run, actually.”

“Ah. Say no more. So, how’s everything? Tony still treating you well?”

“What if I said no?”

“I’d already be gone and off to kick his ass.”

You laughed. “Much as I’d love to see that, everything’s fine. Business as usual. Nothing to complain about.”

You’d really lucked out. Tony had found you bleeding in an alley after you were mugged by a rogue shifter whose out-of-control aggression facilitated his sudden shift. He took a good bite out of you then in his wolf form and left you for dead.

Tony just happened to be walking that particular street on that particular night. You were too far gone to take much note of your surroundings, but you weren’t soon to forget the way he and his pack took you in and patiently eased you into the sudden, unexpected circumstances of your life.

After being treated, you’d woken to an unfamiliar room. It was so clean and white. Sterile. You could have been anywhere. In the middle of your, frankly, justified meltdown, Pepper, Tony’s mate, had come in and gently informed you that you were in the infirmary of the Stark compound in upstate New York and that you weren’t being held against your will and were free to leave whenever you wanted. Then she’d motioned to Bruce, one of the Betas, who stood unseen outside the door, waiting to check on your injuries.

When they figured out that you remembered the previous events of your attack, they eased you into your new reality.

Creatures that weren’t entirely human weren’t just stories. They were real, and they were called shifters, able to take on the form of a wolf whenever they pleased. Most lived life as regular people—aside from the little fact that they could turn into giant wolves at will—but just like humans, there were bad ones. Dangerous ones. The shifter that had attacked you was a rogue that, they assured, had quickly been taken care of.

Most shifters needed a pack to belong to. Without one, they could descend into madness brought on by crippling loneliness. There did, of course, exist lone wolves, but those were rare, and no matter how much or how little social interaction a human desired before being turned, the wolf in them would instinctively be driven to be part of a pack.

Your parents were already gone after the car accident years prior. You had no one else in the world. You were alone and unhappy. And the Stark pack was one that could be yours.

You eventually met the others left in the pack, Rhodey and Vision, the latter of whom was the enforcer and Wanda’s mate. Beside Tony and Pepper, they all lived at the compound.

And then, you. The Omega. You were less surprised than you should have been to find out that such a hierarchy was present even in human form. If shifters were real, what was one more thing to add to the list?

Each rank gave off a distinct vibe easily picked up by other shifters. Rarer than Alphas and Betas, Omegas had the ability to soothe people and diffuse tensions if they were practiced enough. They weren’t seen as inferior; rather, they were equals, claiming a role in shifter society just as vital as any other.

Different ranks could mate with any rank, but certain pairings were much more common than others. Alphas were naturally drawn to Omegas, and Omegas were drawn to Alphas. The territorial and often aggressive nature of Alphas came out in full force when what they perceived to be theirs was threatened or in danger of being taken away from them, but the soothing touch of an Omega mate had the power to quell his or her Alpha’s unrest.

At first, you were just trying to get used to the fact that you were a shifter, let alone the fact that you were apparently an Omega. You were hoping to go about your existence with as few bumps as possible, and you had a strong feeling that getting involved with an Alpha would only spell trouble that you just didn’t want to deal with. No matter how much your wolf howled for a strong Alpha to come and claim you, to take care of and provide for you, the human part of you knew better.

“All right, if you say so,” Natasha said. She jerked her head to where Tony and Steve still stood by the trees chatting between themselves. “Looks pretty serious. Wonder what’s going on over there.”

“It could be about that man who was found dead at that campsite in Louisiana,” said Wanda.

“What?” you said immediately.

“I came into the kitchen last night and found Steve and one of the Louisiana Alphas talking about it. Steve told me he was planning to tell us if we didn’t hear about it someplace else, but he wanted to make sure it was actually an animal that did it and not a shifter.”

“Wait, what happened?” you asked. “A shifter was found dead?”

“Not a shifter. A human,” Natasha said. “Mauled in his tent while he was asleep. From what I gather, it was not a pretty sight.”

You blanched. “So it could’ve been a shifter that did this?”

“No one knows for sure,” Wanda said. “But Steve and some of the other Alphas have given out warnings to be extra cautious about shifting where humans might see us. We can’t afford to scare people into killing us, especially if they’re already on high alert from animal attacks that make it to the news.”

You frowned. “Tony hasn’t said anything about this to us.”

“He was probably going to tell you soon. It only happened last night,” Natasha said.

You could only imagine the horror the man who was killed had woken up to before taking his last breath. As horrible as you felt for the man, a part of you hoped it was just a random animal attack and not a shifter who was responsible. If it was a shifter, the implications were troublesome for shifters everywhere.

You looked over to Tony and Steve, who were just parting ways and rejoining the party. Swallowing thickly, you watched as Steve strode over to a group of shifters you didn’t recognize, his brushed back dirty blond hair glinting in the firelight.

Then a large bodily mass was suddenly taking up your view.

Shifting on your feet, you looked up to find an Alpha smiling down at you with a cheeky grin. You knew this one. He went by the name of Hodge and was leader of the pack in Delaware.

“Hey, buttercup,” he said, cheeky grin all too quickly becoming a sleazy one.

“Hodge,” you grudgingly greeted back. He was a lumbering oaf, but tolerable enough so far.

“Was looking forward to seeing you tonight. We haven’t had a chance to catch up.”

Like there was much to catch up on. Every time you saw him, he jumped at the chance to talk to you and followed you around like a lost puppy, and not in the endearing way. You had an inkling he felt some sort of entitlement to your attention.

“Well, nothing much has changed in the forty-eight hours since I’ve seen you, so…” You weren’t in the mood to humor him. Natasha and Wanda stifled their laughter over your shoulder.

Hodge didn’t appear to be fazed by your somewhat dismissive tone. “Forty-eight hours too much if you ask me. You got too pretty a face to go without seeing for very long.”

Oookay. You needed another drink.

“Guys, you want to grab a drink?” You turned to Natasha and Wanda.

“No need,” Hodge said with smarmy arrogance. “I’ll take you over.”

“Actually, it’s fine—” you began, but he’d already put his hand on your lower back and was steering you toward the bonfire.

“Nah, really, it’s no problem. It’s my job to make sure your needs are taken care of.” It was clear he had no intention of letting go.

“Hodge—” You were stepping away and saw Natasha and Wanda about to come to your aid when his hand shot out to encircle your waist and held it in a tight grip, preventing you from leaving.

“It’s just a drink,” he countered, impatience seeping into his tone.

“I said I don’t want one.” You attempted to pull him off by the wrist, but his grip was stronger and you only succeeded in having him hold onto you tighter.

Natasha and Wanda were on your heels and saying things to Hodge that didn’t register with you. Hodge was tugging you along with more resistance on your end, and Natasha and Wanda were just about to help free you from his grip when his hand was suddenly pried off your waist with considerable ease.

Everyone abruptly turned to find a dark-haired man you didn’t recognize staring daggers at Hodge. Another Alpha.

“What the hell, man?” Hodge said angrily.

“It’s in the best interest of all parties for you to keep your hands away from where they’re unwanted, Hodge. She clearly has no interest in going anywhere with you.” The resonant bass in the other man’s voice only added to his cool and confident demeanor.

In a futile attempt at intimidation, Hodge got in the other man’s face. “The girl is mine, Strange. Now back off unless you want your ass thrown in that fire.”

The other man—Strange—didn’t flinch at all. Instead, he pretended to ponder the threat. “Hm. Oh. Sorry, was that line supposed to actually be threatening? Well. There’s always next time.”

Deciding it wasn’t worth it, Hodge sneered before backing off. He threw you a final glance and left in the other direction.

You observed the man in front of you as he watched Hodge leave. He was handsome in an interesting sort of way, with defined features and a refined air to him, and the goatee actually suited his face.

He turned to you. “Apologies if you had it covered. I’ve just grown to really hate assholes like that guy.”

“N-no,” you said. “It’s fine. Thank you. I think we could’ve gotten him to back off eventually, but who knows how long it would’ve taken? You never know with guys like him.”

He nodded, looking like he was ready to take his leave, but then paused. His serious demeanor reminded you all too much of another Alpha you preferred not to think about. You quickly shelved that particular thought.

After wetting his lips, Strange held out a hand. “I’m Stephen Strange.”

You took his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He held onto your hand longer than was necessary, almost seeming unaware of it. Again, he paused, as if uncertain of whether or not to carry on. Then he said, “The pleasure is all mine.”

He released your hand, nodded politely to Natasha and Wanda, who watched with rapt attention, and gave you one last glance before going on his way.

“What…was that?” Wanda asked.

“That, I’m pretty sure, was New York’s hottest neurosurgeon hitting on our friend over here,” Natasha said, faint smirk tugging at her lips as though she was impressed.

Your face burned. “What? He wasn’t hitting on me. He literally exchanged, like, two sentences with me.”

“Two very meaningful sentences,” said Wanda.

“Pleasure is all his? Sure sounded like it from where I was standing,” added Natasha.

“Oh my god. No. Stop. Just stop.”

The other two laughed and took you by either arm.

“Come on, let’s get that drink you were looking for,” said Natasha.

Face still heated, you let yourself be guided away. It was by pure chance that you looked up and caught sight of Steve by the bonfire in the distance.

He was staring right at you. The flames cast a shadowy glow over his stern, handsome features and once again, he looked none too happy.

Well, what else was new?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just thought I'd be safe and give credit to Patricia Briggs and her Alpha & Omega series for the idea that Omegas have the ability to soothe and calm. Idk if that trope is actually common enough that it's not really a case of stealing someone's idea and rather just using a common trope.


	3. Century

“You can’t catch me!” Morgan giggled as she ran aimlessly around the expansive front lawn of the compound.

“Says you!” you shouted. “You better run fast ’cause I’m going to get you!”

“No, you’re not!”

The week after the Harvest Moon, Tony and Pepper decided to bring Morgan along on their visit to the compound. The five-year-old was certainly doing a good job of making your heart rate stay up as she twirled and zig-zagged, daring you to catch her.

Clever and good-natured, she was always a welcome visitor and was adored by everyone, even if you didn’t count the fact that she was the Alpha’s daughter. She brought a much needed dose of that gleeful, innocent joy that was found only in children her age. As the offspring of two shifters, she was expected to fully develop into a shifter at eighteen, the youngest age at which shifting abilities could manifest if one was born into it.

Her giggles grew louder as you gained on her until finally, you caught her around the waist. “Gotcha!”

“Mommy says I should let you catch me, but daddy thinks I shouldn’t let you win.”

“Oh, is that what your dad says? Well, you know what I think? I think I’m just plain faster than you, little lady,” you said, pouncing on her with a barrage of tickles.

She squealed and laughed, trying to evade your assault. “No, you’re not!”

“Oh, yeah? Then why am I the one that’s got you in my evil clutches, huh? Give it up, there’s no escape!” You let out a playful roar and continued to ply her with tickles as she surrendered to the grass and writhed in childlike amusement.

Your antics were interrupted when a black Corvette convertible pulled up the long path to the main building. The smooth purr of the engine greeted your ears as the car slowed to a stop until it reached your side and the driver tipped her chin up at you. “’Sup?”

“Carol!” Morgan escaped your slackened hold and ran over to greet the blonde Alpha from California.

“Hey, little one.” Carol ruffled Morgan’s hair as you made your way over.

“Did you bring me presents?” Morgan asked.

“Why don’t you take a gander and find out?” Carol tilted her head toward a gift bag in the passenger seat. Morgan’s face lit up.

“Good to see you, Carol,” you said.

“You, too. Tony inside?”

“Yeah, he’s in. What brings you here today?”

“The usual. Boring pack business. Figured I’d get it out of the way while I’m on the east coast visiting family. How ’bout you, anything new?”

“Nah. Just the same ol’, same ol’.”

“I could use some of that right now.” She reached for the gift bag and handed it to Morgan. “Here you go, squirt. Fun for the whole family. Go open it in front of your dad. And don’t forget to record his reaction.”

Morgan happily accepted the gift and bounded toward the building’s entrance.

“What is it?” you asked.

“A 3000-piece puzzle of Tony’s face. I had it commissioned. The things you find on the internet.” Carol smirked.

You laughed, walking alongside the car as she rolled it forward at a leisurely pace.

“So how was the Harvest Moon last week? Everyone go completely berserk and trash the place?” she asked.

“No, thank God. There were a few folks who got completely trashed, but other than that, it was fine. We had some people who had to crash in the guest rooms for the night.”

“Sounds like a rager. Wish I could’ve been there. Ours was tame to the max. You know that one Alpha, Corbin? It was at his compound. Total stick up his ass. Harvest Moon was more like a funeral than a party.”

“Guess it can’t be a winner every year.”

Carol merely grunted. “But you know what I hear’s the one to be at? Gamora’s over there down in Brazil. Now there’s a girl who knows how to party.”

“She’s kind of scary, though, isn’t she?” You’d never met her, but you’d heard things.

“Who, Gamora? Are you kidding me? She’s—okay, yeah, she does sorta look like she’s constantly primed and ready to rip your balls off, but once you get past that, she’s a total sweetheart.”

A movement up ahead caught your attention. Tony was watching the two of you from one of the large windows, holding up the box that contained the puzzle of his face. You couldn’t see his expression from where you were standing, but you could tell he was not amused.

Laughing along with Carol, you told her to go ahead and that you’d probably see her later. While she cruised along the rest of the drive, you took your time heading back indoors.

In the main living and kitchen area, Rhodey was on the couch looking over some papers while Vision was at work concocting another one of his recipes at the stove.

“Hey, Rhodey, Carol’s here,” you said.

“Yeah, I know, I’m about to head over to the library right now. Just finishing up a few things here.”

You opened the refrigerator, glancing over at Vision. “Whatcha making?”

“Paprikash,” he said.

“Ooh, any special occasion?”

“Wanda’s not talking to him,” Rhodey answered from the couch without looking up.

Vision spared him an unimpressed look before turning to you. “We’ve recently fallen prey to a bit of a lovers’ quarrel, for lack of a better term, and as a result, I’m giving this recipe another attempt in the hopes that it might make her more susceptible to my apologies.”

“Groveling,” Rhodey amended with a cough.

“Yes, well, let’s hope this one won’t be in vain, shall we?” said Vision.

Even belonging to different packs, the mated pair seemed to make things work. They visited each other whenever they could, and it helped that the two packs were close allies.

Vision might not have seemed the natural pick for the role of enforcer, but spending enough time in his proximity would prove what everyone who dealt with the pack already knew. He had an uncanny ability to be menacing with just a single look, and a quietly assured, calm and collected bearing that could be eerie at times.

He also had a straightforward manner, almost childlike in its simplicity. When you asked why he was called Vision in your early days with the pack, he’d simply blinked once at the countertop and said, “Because I have excellent vision, I suppose?”

“Where’s Bruce?” you asked.

“In the lab as usual,” Rhodey said as he gathered up his papers. “All right, I’m heading over to the library.”

“Tell Ms. Danvers I say hello, if you will,” said Vision.

“Yeah, well, she’ll probably respond with some sarcastic jab whose heyday was back in the ’90s or something. I swear. Sometimes it’s like she’s from a different time or something. She and Steve are like two peas in a pod.”

You were startled to find that your wolf had awoken and was snarling at the intimation that Steve might be compatible with another female.

_Down, girl._

“What?” you said.

“What?” Rhodey said, distracted. “No, I was just saying Carol kind of reminds me of Steve, that’s all.”

“What do you…” Then, deciding you didn’t want to seem too curious about anything concerning Steve, you dropped it. “Never mind.”

“Oookay, then,” Rhodey said as he crossed the living area. “Catch you guys later.” With that, he was off to the library to meet with Tony and Carol.

If you really had to think about it, Steve and Carol did share some similarities, you supposed. They were both natural leaders, both driven and dedicated to their cause. Fearless, or they came off that way. Dependable. Brave. Strong. Dominant. Alphas.

Okay, they were a lot alike, you admitted. Even still, they were just…all wrong for each other. Weren’t they?

No. What were you thinking?

If they were two peas in a pod, let them be two peas in a pod. Maybe she’d be the one to get him to actually crack a smile once in a while.

You didn’t realize how dark a turn your mood had taken until Vision quietly cleared his throat without looking up from the stove.

“Does something trouble you?” he asked.

Snapping out of it, you said, “Huh? Oh, uh, what? I mean…never mind. I’m going to the gym.” You stalked off to the compound’s fully equipped gym before you could be subject to any more questions.

You had no idea where this sudden need to pummel something was coming from. It was latent, like it simmered deep in your bones, biding its time and giving you a false sense of security until the catalyst suddenly came along and provoked it into bursting out of you like an avalanche.

Omegas were no doubt capable of aggression, but the intensity in no way rivaled that of an Alpha’s.

Unless…their mate was involved.

“Ugh, stop it, just stop it!” you said to the empty hallway.

Was this the effect an unmated Alpha could have on an unmated Omega? Were you just going to be shouting at yourself like some crazy person from now on? If that was the case, one thing was for certain. He was probably going to be around the compound at one time or another and there was the chance that you would see him, but you didn’t care.

From now on, you were going to avoid Steve at all costs.

  


* * *

  


A few days later, you found yourself in the lab keeping Bruce company while he went about working on some science project or another. You never understood half the stuff he said, so you mostly stuck to nodding your head and asking questions you probably should have known the answer to. Bruce usually gave you a modest, reassuring smile that said you were actually in the majority of folks he talked to about his work.

You were perched on one of the stools, fiddling with a rubber band as Bruce measured out a green liquid substance into a beaker.

“You know, I saw you talking to that Alpha Stephen Strange that night of the Harvest Moon,” he said casually, attention mostly on his work.

“What?”

“Yeah, he pulled you away from that other guy, right? Hodge?” He huffed out a small laugh and shook his head. “Guy’s always been a bully. Plenty of people were glad to see him taken down a peg or two, I have no doubt.”

“Yeah, let’s just hope it was enough for him to keep his distance.”

“I have a feeling it was. Strange doesn’t usually go out of his way to do stuff like that, you know.”

You hummed in response. “You know him well?”

“No, not at all, actually. But he sort of has a reputation. I’m surprised you didn’t hear of him before.”

“Bruce, I’m probably out of the loop on about a million different things. If I were any more out of the loop, I’d fall off the roller coaster and plunge to my death.”

He chuckled as if to humor you. “Nice. Well, if you feel that much out of the loop, I’m sure a certain Alpha would be more than willing to help.”

You stilled. He couldn’t possibly mean… “Who?”

He gave you a brief, odd look. “Strange. Who else would I be talking about? You know how I said he doesn’t go out of his way to come to the rescue of ‘poor little Omegas’ or, well, anyone, really? He did it with you. He likes you.”

“No,” you said automatically. How was everyone seeing something you weren’t? “Likes me?”

“Yeah, likes you. Everyone could see it. People like to make a big deal out of him being some busy hotshot surgeon with little desire for anything else, but to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to show up here tomorrow with the intention of courting you.”

“Courting me?”

“Yeah. Courting.”

Stephen Strange, interested in you? That was something you never would have expected. Your heart raced a little at the thought. As undeniably flattering as it was to have the attention of a handsome and intelligent Alpha, you were still pretty set on not getting involved with one.

But there was something else to all this. Something you were only just coming to recognize.

Your wolf. She didn’t perk up at the mention of Strange, didn’t whimper in dark and delirious want for him. She didn’t feel the urge to preen in hopes of attracting and keeping him. There was no desire for him to claim you and mark you as his mate for all time. No pull, no deep-seated _need_ like he was a prerequisite for your very soul’s wellbeing.

Not like how your wolf was when it came to…

No.

If you were indeed to get involved with Strange, it’d be on the basis of your human self and nothing else. It’d be your human side that was in full control. You wouldn’t have to deal with your wolf growling at you incessantly to have some overbearing, dominant Alpha do this or that to you, wouldn’t be entirely dependent on him.

The mating bond was not to be taken lightly. Shifters could only ever be mated once, and it was for life. That wasn’t to say that they couldn’t have relationships with anyone other than their true mate. But once they found them, it was an experience so potent and all-consuming that no one else would ever compare.

You figured you would be fine if you never found your mate or ever had children. You could still lead a fulfilling life and have meaningful relationships and not be bonded with your partner if that was what you wanted. And Strange seemed like a logical, rational man.

Maybe, just maybe, being with the Alpha that was Stephen Strange wouldn’t be as much trouble as you thought.

Maybe your reasoning wasn’t quite all there, but it felt right, and that had to count for something, didn’t it?

And this was all only predicated on whether or not he even acted on his supposed interest, so it was entirely possible that you were expending brain cells on a fruitless endeavor.

You sighed. You thought you’d reconciled your human self with your wolf by now, but it seemed you still had some ways to go.

“But what exactly are you out of the loop on, though?” Bruce asked, pulling you from your thoughts. “I thought you’d already settled into shifter life pretty well.”

“Yeah, I have, I guess. It’s just…I don’t know, certain things.”

Certain men, more like.

And certain other things, like how the hell you were going to get through your first heat, which thankfully still hadn’t come, without having to mate with someone. But that wasn’t exactly something you wanted to discuss with Bruce.

“Feel free to be more vague,” he said.

“Well…” _Screw it_, you thought. “A couple days ago, Rhodey said something about Carol and Steve being two peas in a pod. He said it could be like she was from a different time, and I guess it sounded like it implied that Steve was, too. I don’t know, it’s probably stupid. It’s probably nothing.”

Bruce paused and looked up at you. “Hold on. Are you telling me you don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“About Steve.”

“What about him?”

Rubbing at a tired eye, Bruce reined in his faintly incredulous expression. “Steve’s from the ’40s.”

What?

_What?_

“What?” you echoed your thoughts. “The ’40s? What do you…”

“Yeah, he’s…from the ’40s.”

“What do you mean? Like, he acts like he’s from the ’40s?”

“No, I mean he’s _actually_ from the ’40s.”

You shook your head as if to shake the confusion clear from your mind. “Okay, Bruce, what the hell are you talking about right now?”

“He’s been around since the ’40s. Well, except earlier, obviously. He was born in 1918, if I recall correctly.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait a minute.” You had your hands held out in front of you. “You cannot be serious. If he was born in 1918, he’d literally be over a hundred. I know shifters live a little longer than humans, but a hundred?”

Bruce simply nodded.

“Wait, are you _serious_?”

“You know, I have to say, you’re taking this incredibly well.”

“Wait, okay, it cannot be just me who thinks you’re leaving out some extremely crucial details here, Bruce. How in the hell is he from that long ago and still around today looking like…that?”

“I’ll be honest, I don’t really know all the details, and it’s not really my place to tell. All I know is he was part of some top secret government experiment in the ’40s looking to create the world’s first super soldier, and among other things, it was meant to result in decelerated aging. Anyway, something went wrong in the process and he was turned. He’s been an Alpha ever since. And his cells check out completely. They show every sign of advanced decelerated aging at a rate I’ve never seen before. Compound that with the already increased lifespan of shifters and it looks like he’s going to be around for quite some time.”

You were absolutely, positively, mind-numbingly dumbfounded.

Steve was a centenarian? The stoic, enigmatic Steve that your wolf craved and was inexplicably drawn to was a shifter, a human, and not even a regular human at that? And did he volunteer for the experiment? Was he forced?

Bruce winced slightly. “Am I really the one to break this to you? No humans know about it, but some of us shifters do. His pack, us, some others, too.”

“How…” you said faintly, “how did I not know about this?”

“It probably just never came up. It’s not really something he advertises. But…that’s how it is.”

Apparently so.

You spent the rest of the week reeling from the unexpected information regarding Steve’s past. The most recent animal attack in Tennessee didn’t help things much either.

“What about these?” Pepper held up a comically huge set of bulky red earrings as Morgan shuffled away on her own to the headband selection.

The three of you were enjoying an evening out in the quaint downtown area while Steve conducted pack business with Tony at the compound. When he’d unexpectedly showed up earlier in the evening, you were just coming down the stairs leading from the residential wing. He was crossing the ground floor to the library, and the moment you spotted his dirty blond hair that was swept back and only served to highlight his chiseled features, you immediately turned tail for your room, waiting until you were sure he was safely nestled away before reemerging. You then found Pepper tucked away in the smaller study and proposed grabbing dinner somewhere.

Your eyes nearly bugged out of your head at the size of the earrings in Pepper’s hand. “Jesus Christ. Yeah, Pepper, if you like being seen with clowns.”

She laughed and hung the earrings back up. “Just so you know, if I come out of this store with three hundred dollars having magically disappeared on account of Morgan alone, it’s totally your fault.”

“Noted.”

You needed a distraction. Your thoughts as of late were taken up by one particularly frustrating Alpha. After learning that Steve was just over a hundred, you couldn’t keep from speculating about all the implications, including all aspects concerning his potential future mate.

Whoever ended up being his mate—you tried to ignore the acute, piercing ache in your chest at the very thought—would get to be with him for all of her life, but Steve would have to live on after his mate’s time came. A shifter only ever had one true mate. If he found his mate, he’d have to live without her after her death. For a long, long time.

It was tragic. As much as your wolf loathed the thought of Steve with another woman—and, boy, did she loathe it—you could only feel extreme sympathy for him. It was deep sorrow for something that hadn’t even happened.

And when you learned about the second animal attack in Tennessee, the one with an identical crime scene to the one in Louisiana, your thoughts were sent swirling yet again.

Then a subtle shift in the air had your wolf’s senses perking up. You and Pepper turned to the door where a woman with wavy chocolate brown hair was just entering the shop. Her eyes darted up and around for a split second before falling back to the floor as though she didn’t want to draw any attention.

You and Pepper exchanged glances. She was a shifter and not only that, but an Omega.

Which reminded you of the attacks.

“Hey, Pepper, have you heard anything else about that attack in Tennessee?” Your eyes spoke volumes without your having to say anything else. You were asking if it had been gleaned by the local packs if the attack was made by a shifter.

“No, I haven’t.” Pepper lowered her voice. “But two identical attacks in two different states? And that close to one another? What are the odds of that?”

It was then that you felt someone’s eyes on you. Turning your head, you found the woman who’d just entered looking at you from behind a rack of postcards. Her meek gaze promptly flickered away as she reached for a postcard.

“Who’s that?” Pepper asked quietly.

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s visiting.” You took a quick glance around the shop. “I’ll be right back.”

The woman shrank into herself as you made your way over. When you drew closer, she stuck the postcard back in its place with a hasty movement and turned for the other direction.

“Excuse me?” you said.

She slowed in her tracks and kept her back to you before finally turning around, tension lining her shoulders.

“You’re a shifter, aren’t you?” you asked in a lowered voice to make sure no one else could hear.

It took her a moment to nod.

“You’re an Omega, aren’t you?”

Again, she nodded.

“Oh, cool. Sorry to bother you. It’s just, I don’t get to meet other Omegas all that often.” Your tone was friendly.

The woman simply looked at you, almost as though she wanted to say something but held herself back.

“Are you in town on a visit?” Maybe you were being nosy, but your curiosity was too strong.

She appeared to deliberate on her answer before finally, she spoke. “Yeah.”

“Oh. Cool. Um, is it a pack we might know or…?”

“No, it—we’re not visiting anyone. It’s just us. The whole pack. We’re here to check out the area. We’ve heard nice things.”

“Oh.” You could tell she was anxious and weren’t looking to make her more uncomfortable. “Okay, well, it’s nice to meet you. Enjoy your visit.”

She gave a feeble nod. “Thanks.”

With a somewhat strained parting smile, you went back to Pepper.

“So who is she?” Pepper asked.

“Just a shifter from out of town. She says her pack’s here just visiting the area.”

“Oh.”

Morgan reappeared at Pepper’s side and clutched at her mom’s sweater. “Can we get frozen yogurt now, mommy?”

Pepper looked to you. “You ready to go?”

You nodded and together, the three of you left to walk over to the nearby fro-yo shop, but not before you took a final glance at the other shifter, who stood in front of the keychains and met your eyes when you looked over your shoulder.

After fro-yo, and long after the sun had disappeared over the horizon, you were in the driver’s seat of the black Audi sedan as you traveled the long, deserted road that led to the main gate of the compound. Morgan was asleep in the backseat while Pepper scrolled through her phone, the bright glow of the screen illuminating her face.

You were cruising along, wondering if Steve had gone by then, when your attention was pulled by a long, peculiar roadblock that appeared to stretch across the width of the unlined road.

“What is that?” you muttered. Pepper looked up from her phone and squinted through the windshield.

“What in the world?” she said.

You slowed to a stop, headlights gleaming on the mysterious objects in front of you. They were separate objects, seven of them. They were black and identical, spaced out in even intervals.

“Are those…crows?” Pepper’s eyebrows were knitted together.

“What?” You inspected them further, taking in their size and shape. She was right. “What in the world are a bunch of crows doing here?” And lined up so deliberately? Almost like…a taunt?

“They’re dead,” said Pepper.

The macabre tableau was clear enough. The crows had been beaten, crushed, and splayed out in a grisly, foreboding fashion. There was no way this was a natural phenomenon.

“Oh, my god. Who would do this?” said Pepper.

You swallowed. “I’m not getting out of the car to move them.”

“Yeah, don’t. Just try to drive through. One of the guys will take care of it tomorrow.”

You carefully maneuvered the car, taking care to make as little contact with the birds as possible. Still, it was difficult to completely pass by them untouched, and it was plainly heard and felt when the tires made impact. It wasn’t pleasant in the least, but you told yourself they were already dead.

You were well unnerved by the time you made it back to the compound. You, Pepper, and a bleary-eyed Morgan were crossing the foyer when Steve and Tony turned the corner leading from the library. They were mid-conversation when they spotted the three of you across the room.

You nearly halted in your tracks at the sight of Steve. In a move you were unfamiliar with, he kept his gaze trained on you as the five of you met somewhere in the middle. You pretended not to notice.

“Hey, we just finished up here,” Tony said. “Have a nice time?” He looked down at Morgan, who was rubbing her eyes, and brushed her hair back with his hand. “Sleepy, squirt? Yeah, it’s time for you to hit the hay. Go on, go get ready for bed and I’ll be in to tuck you in in a little bit, ’kay?”

She yawned and padded away for the stairs. Once she was out of earshot, Pepper turned to Tony.

“Tony, we think someone put a bunch of dead crows out on the road leading up to the gate. We were driving back and saw them all laid out in a line. They were crushed.”

“What?”

“They weren’t there when we left,” you added. “Someone had to have done it while we were out.”

“You’re sure it was on purpose?” Steve asked you, brows drawn together in concern.

“Yeah,” you said, trying not to show your surprise at his having addressed you directly. “No way was this some freak accident.”

Tony and Steve exchanged worried glances.

“They’re still there. We didn’t move them or anything,” Pepper said.

“Yeah, that’s fine, better for you not to have left the car,” Tony said. “Someone’ll go out there tomorrow and take care of it.”

“Why would someone do this, Tony? I don’t get it.” She grew more panicked by the second.

Tony wrapped his hands around her arms. “Hey, Pep, don’t worry about it, all right? Could be nothing. Maybe just some kids playing a dumb prank or something, we’ll find out.”

“I-I just—it’s—”

You reached out to put a hand on her arm. “Pepper, maybe it really was just some stupid prank. Let’s just try not to get too freaked out about it.” You were trying to convince yourself as much as you were her.

Shifting in Tony’s hold like something invisible had just passed through her, she took an involuntary step back. And blinked. “Did you do that?”

You frowned. “Do what?”

“Do that. Calm me.”

“Wha…I…”

“I think you just used your abilities on me.”

Tony raised his brows at you. “You mean you can do your whole Omega thing now?”

“Hardly. I’ve never been able to do it, you know that.”

“Maybe it’s just been latent this whole time,” he said. “After all, everyone needs practice.”

You shook your head. You couldn’t even begin to process this. “This is—is anyone else just…as completely worn out as I am right now?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, well, it has been a long day, hasn’t it? I’m ready to hit the hay myself. I was just telling Steve to stay over when you guys came in.”

“What?” you said before you could stop yourself. Steve’s unreadable gaze flickered over to you.

“Manners, missy. It’s late and I told golden boy over here he might as well crash here for the night.” Tony jerked his head toward Steve.

“You know it’s really not necessary, Tony,” Steve said.

“Nope, I’m not listening anymore. You know where the guest rooms are. Trust you can find your own way.” Tony clapped him on the arm. “Sweet dreams, sunshine.”

He and Pepper made their way to the room they shared when they stayed over, leaving you all alone with Steve.

You had no idea what to say. After watching the others leave, you glanced back at Steve, who had his jaw visibly clenched as he watched you.

“I’m just going to…” You gestured in the direction of the kitchen. “Goodnight.”

You swept past him and headed for the kitchen. You really just wanted to head to your room but that would mean heading up the stairs and to the residential wing alongside Steve. You couldn’t think of anything more awkward. Still, your wolf growled at you for the missed opportunity to be in his presence.

“Oh, shut up,” you muttered to her under your breath and rolled your eyes.

Oh, God. You were doing the crazy person thing again.

You glanced over your shoulder as you continued past the stairs, only to find Steve still standing there, watching you go with his mouth set in a tight line.

You turned back around. You could not deal with this right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize Steve hasn't really said much so far. That'll change. (And don't worry. Carol's not the one you have to stress about when it comes to him. 😇)


	4. Sleepless Night

In the dead silence of night, the second hand of the watch on the bedside table was your only companion as it ticked away. You envied its steady pace, like it knew its purpose and knew always just what to do about it.

Trying to sleep was proving to be a futile endeavor.

You’d already gone on your phone in the hopes that it’d keep you occupied before eventually causing you to doze off, but you couldn’t even concentrate on that either. You couldn’t seem to shake the restlessness pervading your bones. As you lay in bed, all you could do was stare at the shadowy mass of hands that you had held out in front of you.

You had no idea what happened with Pepper. She claimed you’d used your calming abilities on her, but if she really did have some feeling of calm wash over her, if it even came from you, it certainly wasn’t conscious on your end.

Maybe it really was just dormant up until now. You hadn’t had your first heat, the Omega abilities you thought you lacked were just now showing—it seemed you were a late bloomer in more than one regard.

How were you even going to go about honing your abilities? You didn’t exactly plan on using them on any grand scale, but knowing how to properly utilize them was probably a good idea.

Then you remembered the Omega you’d met in the shop. If she was willing, maybe you could somehow ask her for advice. But you knew nothing about her, not even her name. There was no way to find her, and running into her by chance a second time wasn’t likely.

Sighing, you let your arms slump back down to the bed.

You wondered when Steve had fallen asleep. He’d never stayed overnight at the compound before—at least, not in the time since you joined the pack—and once again, your body was like a live wire, awake and alert, knowing he was nearby.

Doing something as vulnerable as sleeping.

In bed.

Probably partially undressed.

Your wolf liked that particular train of thought.

With a frustrated groan, you flopped onto your side and glanced at the time.

2:48 a.m.

Sleep wasn’t going to come any time soon. Without further ado, you pulled back the covers and headed for the kitchen.

With the lights on a low, warm setting, you flipped on the electric kettle. While the water boiled for the tea, you pulled a fudge pop from the freezer and enjoyed it leaned up against the counter. You were staring into space, thinking about how you were going to go about dealing with your Omega abilities, when a broad figure suddenly appeared to your left.

The fudge pop nearly flew out of your hand as you jumped out of your skin, your loud gasp sounding out of place in the peaceful quiet of the kitchen. In an instant, however, your nerves were able to settle when you saw who it was.

Steve was stopped in his tracks, hands out in front of him in a placating gesture.

And he was shirtless. Totally, completely shirtless.

“Whoa, hey, it’s just me,” he said. “Didn’t mean to startle you there. Just thought I might’ve left the light on by accident.”

“God, you scared me.” You had a hand to your heart, willing your heart rate to go down. “I wasn’t expecting anyone. I was just—uh, I was just making some tea,” you stammered, trying very hard not to take notice of his defined pectorals, the ridges of his abs, the corded muscles of his biceps and forearms, or the veins that ran all the way down them.

All that covered him was a pair of navy drawstring pajama shorts that hung low on his hips and hit well above the knee, while clutched in one of his hands was a plain white t-shirt. His feet were bare and his hair looked windswept, a single blond lock drooping over his forehead. The intimate lighting cast him in slight shadow, painting him as the dark, forbidden fruit you wouldn’t let yourself dream about.

“I didn’t realize anyone was still up,” he said as you rifled through the cabinets to keep yourself busy. You could hear him pulling on his t-shirt behind you. You didn’t know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

“I just couldn’t sleep,” you said, too distracted by his presence to really register any of your speech. You pulled out a mug without really looking as well as the teabag and sugar. “You can’t sleep either?”

“Uh, not tonight. Not really.”

“Want some tea?” you asked before you could think not to. Inviting him to stick around was very much going against your plan to avoid him as much as possible.

When he didn’t answer for a few seconds, you looked over your shoulder. His stance appeared casual, but you could spot the tension lining his broad shoulders. His face, however, was much easier to read. He was reluctant. Of course he probably didn’t want to hang out with you in the middle of the night when the two of you had barely ever had a real conversation.

You tried to tell yourself that was a good thing. Your wolf, on the other hand, whined, hurt at the thought that he was just looking for an exit.

Which was why it was a surprise when, after a long beat, he answered in a low voice, “Sure. Why not?”

Well. All righty, then.

After retrieving the milk, you went about setting up the tea as he settled into a bar stool. “Uh, how much sugar would you like?” you asked.

“Uh, two spoons, I guess.”

“Milk?”

“Sure.”

When you were done, you turned away from the counter with two steaming mugs in hand and almost stopped short when you caught the way Steve’s eyes flickered away from your bare thighs so quickly you swore you must have imagined it. He straightened up in his seat as you approached, running a hand through his hair.

“Here you go.” You set his cup down in front of him, remaining on the opposite side of the island countertop.

“Thanks,” he said, wrapping his fingers around the handle as he cast his eyes down at the mug.

Oh, no. Why had you asked him if he wanted one? Now you had to actually make conversation.

“So the grounds are all clear. There’s no one out there,” he said, saving you from initiating small talk.

“What?”

“I was just out there patrolling the woods. I also went out to the road and cleared up the crows. That’s why I came in like this.” He glanced down at his sleepwear. “I left the clothes outside the front before I came back in.”

Right. He had to have been nude after shifting back. You had to fight back a smile. Whoever looked through the footage from the security cameras should it ever become necessary was sure to appreciate the sudden and unexpected sight of a buck-naked Steve as he casually pulled his clothes back on before reentering.

“You were out there as your wolf?” you asked.

You were instantly taken back to the night of the Harvest Moon when you saw him in the clearing, staring up at the full moon with that vaguely soulful expression and those inhuman blue eyes. His wolf was a stunning sight. Powerful and agile, it was clearly built as a predator. And all the while, his wolf retained that air of solemn dignity and steady assurance you’d come to associate with Steve. Indeed, he was a beautiful creature in whichever form he chose.

He nodded. “Just thought it’d be a good idea to do a quick sweep of the area. What you saw tonight really might’ve just been a prank like Tony said, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to be on the safe side.”

“Do you think it was a prank?” you asked with quiet uncertainty.

He looked at the countertop, considering. “I don’t know. But I can’t imagine any pack stupid enough to try something with Tony out of the blue like that. And relations between neighboring packs have been pretty peaceful for a good while now.”

“I guess it helps that when you mess with one, you mess with the other,” you mused, alluding to the close relationship between his and your packs.

He looked at you then, the corner of his mouth tilted up in a boyish half smile that had your wolf melting at his ability to somehow inhabit both that unwittingly arresting, charming manner and an otherwise serious demeanor. Either way, you found his unabashed earnestness incredibly endearing.

“You know, you fit right in with the pack. Tony’s, I mean,” he said.

“Oh,” you said reflexively. “Did you not expect me to?” You couldn’t help but be a tiny bit insulted at the insinuation.

“No, that’s…ah, that’s not what I meant.” He fiddled with his cup. “I just meant that it doesn’t seem like it’s only been a year. Like you’ve been here longer.”

“Oh. Well, thanks.” You fiddled with your cup as well. “Yeah, I guess I just got incredibly lucky that night Tony found me. Well, besides being mugged and bitten by a rabid wolf, obviously. But if I had to go through that, I’m glad it was Tony who found me. And that he was even willing to take me in without knowing anything about me at all.”

Steve’s demeanor seemed to shift then, his features once again turning stoic. “Yeah. That must’ve been a rough night.”

You nodded. “I mean, I guess I should’ve been really freaked out by the fact that he brought me all the way from New York to the compound while I was still unconscious. And I was. Freaked out, I mean. Severely. But again, I lucked out. Good thing for me, Tony didn’t end up being a psycho serial killer who chains people up in basements before chopping them up into little pieces.”

Steve appeared distracted, like he was trying to get away from his thoughts, whatever they were. “Yeah, well, the shift wouldn’t have been very pleasant to go through on your own. It was either bleed out in an alley or be turned if the bite didn’t end up killing you first. If no one had been there, you would’ve turned into something you had zero idea about. All alone with no guidance, no scrap of information about what just happened and what it would mean for the rest of your life. Not exactly an enviable position to be in.”

He was right, of course. Then you remembered how he’d mentioned the fact that you were found in an alley.

“I guess Tony filled you in on the details of how he found me,” you said. That or he’d just guessed. It wouldn’t have been too hard to guess where you must have ended up after a violent encounter like that.

Steve paused. “Yeah. He did.”

You looked down at your cup, tapping your fingers against it in a restless motion. Your tea was nearly finished, and whereas you first thought you wanted nothing more than to retreat to your room, you found yourself unwilling to part with Steve.

“So do you sometimes stay the night here? Or did you before I joined?” you asked.

“Very rarely. I don’t usually end up staying late enough to warrant an invite. But I don’t mind the drive back to the city. I like it, actually.”

“Peaceful?” you asked with a small smile, then chuckled. “Well, when you’re not by the city, anyway.”

He gave a milder version of that half smile, expression turning almost tender. “Yeah. Gets me out of my head for a bit. Especially when I take the bike.”

“Bike?” A motorcycle? Steve rode a motorcycle? You tried to envision it. Why did that come as such a surprise? And why did you find the image so unbearably…hot?

“Yeah, I’ve been riding for a while now. Few things beat that rush of the wind against your skin, I’ve found. Guess it’s a good thing I can turn into a wolf whenever I want, then.”

You smiled shyly down at your cup. That’s when you noticed something about your wolf. She wasn’t foaming at the mouth simply at the thought of being near Steve. She always found him desirable and was thrilled to be in his presence, of course, but she was something more than that.

She was…content. At peace.

Steve looked down at his cup. He wet his lips slowly as if deep in thought, and you didn’t think he was even aware of the picture he painted. “Well, uh…it’s getting pretty late. I should catch some sleep if I want to head out early tomorrow.”

“Oh.” You shifted on your feet, suddenly spurred into action, and glanced at the clock. “Wow. It is pretty late.”

“Thanks for the tea,” he said as he rose from the chair and deposited the cup in the dishwasher.

“No problem.” You were suddenly overcome with an unbelievable bout of shyness. You’d just had an actual conversation with Steve without him looking like he either hated or was totally indifferent toward you.

He offered you a tight smile. “Goodnight.”

“Night,” you returned with a similarly tight smile.

Gaze falling from yours, he lingered for a short moment before finally turning on his heel and leaving.

Well. You certainly were no closer to sleep than you had been before.

The next day, you woke up having had far less sleep than you would have liked. As you stretched in bed, your mind was immediately taken back to your conversation with Steve. It was the longest you’d spent time with him, and you found he was easier to talk to than you’d thought.

You still didn’t understand why he treated you differently from everyone else. He did say it seemed like you’d been there longer, which was a surprise to hear, considering the way he usually acted as if you barely existed. So if he believed what he said, why treat you differently? It couldn’t have only been in your head.

You rolled out of bed before you could get bogged down in the mire of speculation.

In the sudden mood for some fresh air, you stepped out the front door of the compound fully dressed and with a thermos of coffee in hand. It was slightly overcast and the mild temperature precluded any need of a sweater.

All around, it was quiet. You assumed Steve had already left for the city by then.

Which was why it was a surprise when you bumped into him right as he got back from his run.

He wore gray athletic pants and a black short-sleeved compression shirt that clung to the hard lines of his upper body. You were going in his direction as he ran up the drive, spotting him at the same moment he spotted you.

With no other option but to keep going, you walked in his direction at an unhurried pace. He waited until he drew closer to pluck out his earbuds and slowed to a walk as you offered a shy wave.

“Hey,” he said, chest visibly moving up and down as his lungs worked to take in more air.

“Hey,” you said, trying very hard not to notice the daunting nature of his larger form taking up your view. “I didn’t know you were still here.”

“Well, I figured I’d get a late start back to the city, make some more use out of the area while I’m here,” he said with his hands on his hips.

How he made catching his breath after exercise as attractive as he did you had no idea.

Taking in your coffee and casual outfit, he tipped his chin up at you. “Where you headed?”

“I was just going to take a walk.”

His gaze fell as he considered something before coming back up. “Mind if I tag along?”

“You want to take a walk?”

He shrugged. “I need to cool down anyway. Unless you don’t want company.”

“No, um…of course not. You can join me if you want.”

Nodding, he waited until you reached his side before falling into step with you.

What was going on? While one part of you was secretly thrilled that he was voluntarily spending more time in your presence, the other part was simply mystified. Whatever happened to those barely-there glances and minimal words of acknowledgement?

“Where you planning on heading?” he asked.

“I was just thinking of going through the woods.” You pointed to the left.

He nodded. “I went around the other side,” he said, indicating to the woodlands at the other side of the compound.

You continued your walk in silence with only the sounds of your footsteps over pine straw and the occasional flapping of birds’ wings to keep you company. The quiet wasn’t quite companionable, but neither was it uncomfortable. More than ever, you wanted to dig into his brain and find out what was going on in his head. If maybe, just maybe, he felt even a fraction of the tension in the air that your wolf felt whenever she was around him. If that palpable, invisible current stemmed from your end and your end only, undetectable to all others.

“So, did you sleep well?” you asked after a good bout of chewing on your lip.

“Yeah. I did.” You stepped over a protruding tree root. “Tony pulls out all the stops here, so I can’t complain. How about you?”

“All right,” you answered, even though it was pretty much the opposite. You struggled for something else to say, anything, but you were unable to come up with it. The relative ease of your conversation the night before was not so forthcoming in the harsh light of day.

You glanced around at where some of the patchy leaves on the trees were starting to show signs of autumn. You were imagining how idyllic the compound would appear once the leaves hit their peak when Steve spoke up.

“So how long did you live in New York?” he asked. “Are you from there?”

You turned your head to find him already looking at you. “I moved around some as a child, but my family eventually settled in New Jersey when I was twelve. We lived across the Hudson until the car accident.”

“Car accident?”

“Yeah. We were coming back from a family vacation in Charleston. I was just shy of my eighteenth birthday. Some guy was driving on the wrong side of the road to get away from the cops and there was a head-on collision. I was in the backseat. I made it. My parents didn’t.”

He lowered his head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks,” you said demurely. You were just about to ask about whether or not he was originally from New York when you remembered the bombshell that Bruce had dropped on you earlier.

Steve was born in 1918 to presumably human parents. They would have been long gone by now.

Your stomach fluttered with nerves. You were uncertain of whether or not you could bring up his past with him. Maybe he wouldn’t like that you knew. After all, Bruce had said it wasn’t something he advertised.

Though you were burning with curiosity, you settled for maybe one day bringing it up with him if the two of you ever reached a certain level of confidence and comfort in the other’s presence. And that was a big, big if.

“Do you have any siblings?” you asked instead. If he did have siblings and they were younger, you supposed there was always the chance that they were still alive and just very old, and he could just answer that he did have them without mentioning their ages.

He shook his head. “Only child. Been that way for as long as I can remember.” He looked at you sideways with a hint of a smile. “Don’t know if I’d know how to be anything else.”

“But you’re a team player,” you mused. It wasn’t terribly hard to imagine him taking up the role of concerned, protective brother, whether younger or older. In fact, the picture of him as a stalwart but affectionate older brother to a little sister was quite endearing. “You lead a pack.”

“Well, it took some time for me to learn I was allowed to ask for help every once in a while, I admit,” he said.

“Were you stubborn as a kid?” you asked, smiling as you pictured it.

“Still am. Although, I’ve learned to compromise where I should.”

Before you knew it, you were coming up on the clearing in the woods where the daylight shone in a mild hue.

“A nice little area.” Steve indicated to the small field with his head.

“Yeah, I like to hang out here whenever I shift,” you said as the two of you strolled across the grassy enclosure. “We pretty much have free reign over this entire area, but there aren’t many places around like this.”

“Do you shift a lot?”

“I guess so. How could you not around here, you know? Do you? Do you shift a lot?” You’d already asked Wanda about this, but you liked hearing Steve’s voice.

“Not a whole lot of chances in Manhattan, obviously, except when we’re in the tower. But sometimes we get out of the city for a good bit and we’re able to roam free then. You know, Wanda’s talked about how in Sokovia she and her brother were caught in their wolf form in a little corner market before they could really get a handle on the whole shifting thing.”

“What? What happened?”

“Surprise, surprise, they managed to escape. The storeowners were scared out of their wits and fled the store. Wanda and her brother ran off, but not before they managed to crash into every innocent fruit stand within a two-foot radius.”

You chuckled. “I’ve always wanted to go to Sokovia.”

“Well, it’ll be worth your time.”

“You’ve been?”

He faltered then, though it was subtle. “Uh, yeah. All of us. My pack, Tony’s.”

“Oh? When?”

He cleared his throat. “It was a couple years ago. We, uh, we were there not so much on a visit as we were for other purposes.”

Your brows furrowed in confusion.

“It was a rogue shifter,” he said. “Worst case we’d seen up to that point. He’d gone insane from being packless and his wolf decided to go on a killing spree. Ended up murdering sixteen people, children included.”

“Oh my god.”

“And because he ended up being from around here instead of a local, Tony and I felt obliged to take care of him before he could kill anyone else. The local Sokovian packs were doing what they could to find him, but the only way they could do that was in their wolf form, and people were already frantic enough from the onslaught of animal attacks that were seemingly coming from out of nowhere. They didn’t want to risk being seen in their wolf form and then killed.”

“But they were willing to risk you?”

He shrugged. “They were grateful for the help, and like I said, Tony and I felt obliged, but they had to deal with the aftermath of the attacks in their local communities and the loved ones that were left behind or finding themselves suddenly without someone to care for them. They helped us when they could, though.”

“But overall it was your pack and Tony’s? And no one saw you that whole time tracking the rogue down?”

“We took every precaution we could to make sure no one did. But in the end, we can never really know. When we eventually found the rogue, he was curled up in some worn down, boarded-up apartment building in his human form, naked and all torn up from self-inflicted wounds. His eyes were glazed over. He was already halfway gone. But when he saw us, he managed to shift back into his wolf and tried to attack us before barreling right through the walls and making us chase him through the streets in our human form.”

“But you managed to find him again?”

He nodded. “By that time, he was human again and more than halfway out of his mind. We tried to calm him down, see what we could do about handing him in to the authorities where he could be properly dealt with. We weren’t sure how we’d go about telling them that he was a shifter. But then his wolf came out again in a last ditch effort of self-preservation right as we were trying to apprehend him and he was on Natasha before we could even blink. Bucky quickly put a bullet through him, but he was still alive. He was whimpering, begging for death at that point. I shifted and put him out of his misery then. Tried not to think about all the people he brutally murdered as I did it. If I had, his death wouldn’t have been so quick.”

By this point, you and Steve had already traversed the woods and had circled back to the long, narrow road that led up to the gate at the far edge of the compound.

You remained silent as you processed what he’d just told you, finding yourself grateful yet again for having been found by Tony. If the rogue in Sokovia was what being without a pack could do to a shifter, you were immensely glad for the stroke of luck that fell upon you a year ago.

“Who knows, maybe if we had an Omega with us, we would’ve been able to calm him down long enough to take him in,” Steve said as you walked the road, tone noticeably lighter than it had been. With the way he looked at you, it was easy to tell that he was referring to the sudden display of your abilities the night before.

“I think that had to be beginner’s luck or something,” you said. “I mean, it’s a skill, right? And I’ve had zero practice.”

“Never too late to learn.”

“I just don’t know how.” You gave him a slight, teasing look. “You don’t happen to be feeling any tension in your body at this particular moment and are willing to be my personal guinea pig, are you?”

Looking down, he laughed quietly, the transformation softening his features. “I’ll have to plead the fifth on that one.” His gaze flickered back up to yours, the sapphire blue of his eyes providing a stark contrast against the muted backdrop of daylight.

You were unaware that you were still staring into his eyes until he gestured mildly to your head.

“Uh, you have a…” He gestured again.

“Huh?” Confused, you put a hand to one cheek.

“No, uh…it’s, uh…” He pointed to your hair.

“My hair?” You ran a hand over your hair starting from the top but came away with nothing. “What is it?”

He slowed to a stop, with you stopping soon after. “No, it’s…here, I’ll just…”

Before you knew what was happening, he had a hand reaching out toward you and was combing his fingers through your hair near your left ear. You stopped breathing as he deftly tangled his fingers in your locks, simply staring at his face in quiet shock.

When his hand finally moved away, he held it out in front of him. In it was a pine needle about two inches long.

“Oh,” you said with a half exhale, half laugh.

“Must’ve caught it in the woods,” he said, rubbing the pine needle between his thumb and index finger before letting it flutter harmlessly to the ground.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

And you were officially back to having absolutely no idea what to say.

You eventually made it up the rest of the road, through the gate, and back to the compound. Outside the front entrance, you asked if he was hungry, to which he said no. You asked if he’d already had breakfast and he said no again.

“You shouldn’t make the drive back on an empty stomach,” you said.

“It’s all right, I can grab something on the way down.”

“You might as well just eat here. If you don’t, Tony and Pepper are liable to have a fit. Or I can go and grab something at the deli downtown.”

“Really, thank you, but it’s okay. I wouldn’t want you to go out of your way like that.”

“I’d be getting something for all of us, too. Really, it’s okay. I don’t mind.”

He looked like he was about to refuse again, but then he took in your expression. “I’m not going to win this one, am I?”

“You’re not the only one capable of having a stubborn streak,” you said with a small smirk.

He smiled in return. “All right. I guess I’ll stay. Do you need me to come with?”

“It’s okay, no need. It’ll just be a quick run. Or quick-ish. I’ll probably be back in twenty minutes or so.”

He nodded. “Sounds all right.”

After grabbing your purse and asking after everyone else’s order, you headed downtown where you were easily able to find a parking spot along the curb. The deli was in plain sight and just a few shops down the block.

You had just shut the car door and were making your way past the small alley off to the side when you heard the sudden revving of an engine.

And the car rammed into you from out of nowhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How have I managed to sleep on the fact that Steve rides motorcycles in my fics?? (oh wait no I mentioned it once) Our beautiful ass baby boy being a beautiful ass bad boy on the back of a motorcycle?? U g h kill. me. now.
> 
> And this is random, but I've long been meaning to say—was anyone else just absolutely _gutted_ when the compound was being obliterated in Endgame? I nearly yelled NOOOO not the compound!! I _felt_ that, man. 😢
> 
> R.I.P. Avengers facility (2015-2023)  
You'll be in our hearts always.


	5. Safety First

The surrounding clamor was a distant second to the blunt force trauma of crashing onto the windshield and tumbling down the hood onto the unforgiving asphalt once the car screeched to a sudden halt.

Before ten seconds had passed, it was over. But you were able to register none of time passing as you lay on the ground, splayed out as the car jerked in the other direction, tires screeching in its hasty getaway.

“Someone get that plate number!” someone shouted.

There was the sound of running footsteps before they came to a stop. “There’s no plate!”

You carefully lifted your head, feeling like your brain was ten times too large for the space it occupied. In a daze, you attempted to crane your neck to see if the car was indeed plateless. By the time your vision was no longer swimming, the vehicle was long gone.

“Hey, hey, don’t move your head like that. Just relax.” A gentle pair of hands eased your head back down. “Help is on the way.”

“I just called 911,” another voice said.

You instantly became aware of the group of people who’d come running to your aid. Your gaze slid over them in a single fluid motion, dread gripping your chest. You needed to get away before anyone noticed.

When you sat up slowly, the others backed away in surprise before inching forward again to help.

“Whoa, what are you doing? Take it easy. You’re going to hurt yourself more.”

Looking down, you saw that everything was still intact. No visible signs of any fracture, nothing twisted at an unnatural angle, not even where your leg had taken the initial impact of the car. There was no pain to suggest internal bleeding. You were badly scraped up and bleeding in several places and your head throbbed, but you knew it would dissipate soon. Overall, it was as you’d expected. Your shifter genes had pulled through.

“I’m okay,” you said, attempting to stand.

“Whoa, hey, stop. You shouldn’t be moving. An ambulance is on the way.” The man at the forefront tried to coax you back down and looked at the others. “Anyone get a good look at the driver?”

“They were gone too fast for anyone to notice.”

You eased out of several grips and started in the direction of your car, remembering to feign a small limp to throw off too much suspicion. You could feel the quiet shock behind you.

“Hey, where are you going? You need to report this!”

You threw out a wave behind you. “I’m fine!” Then added a halfhearted, “Thank you.”

“The ambulance is on the way! It’s just the adrenaline. You need to get checked out.”

“I will! I’m driving myself.”

“What—are you insane?” the man said.

“You can’t drive!” another one said.

You waved them off. “I’ll be all right! I’m going to the hospital now. Thank you, though.”

No one came after you as you climbed into the driver’s seat. As you hurried to settle in, the tint of crimson flashing in the rearview mirror caught your attention. Blood pooled from a nasty wound on your forehead and trickled down your temple to mingle with your hair, but head wounds often looked worse than they were.

Swiping at the blood near your temple with your sleeve, you wasted no time in starting the car and peeled away from the curb, leaving a group of concerned but baffled citizens in your wake.

You called Tony on your way back.

“You _what_?” his voice came loud and clear through the stereo.

“I couldn’t catch the driver’s face and neither could anyone else. I’m heading back to the compound now.”

“Shit. Okay, first things first—are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Nothing broken, no internal bleeding. Just sore.”

“Concussion?”

“No. I’m sure of it.”

“How sure?”

“Sure enough that other shifters have gone through a hell of a lot worse and came away none the worse for wear. The only thing I have is a mild headache, none of the other symptoms.”

He sighed.

“They said the car was plateless. Probably stolen.”

“Did anyone call the cops?”

“They called an ambulance, but I left before it could come. I’m not getting the cops involved with this, Tony. I have a bad feeling it has something to do with us. With shifters.”

The silence on the other end did nothing to ease your fears.

“Tony?”

“I’m here. Listen, you just get back here and we’ll figure out where to go from here. You sure you’re all right?”

“Positive.”

He sighed. “All right. See you when you get back. Drive carefully. I mean it.”

You didn’t bother with the garage when you arrived at the compound, instead leaving the car parked out front. Pepper and Bruce rushed outside to meet you, ushering you inside.

“Oh my god, are you okay? Your head.” Pepper had a hand on your back as Bruce held the door open.

“I’m fine, honestly, just a little banged up.”

“We’re going to find out who did this. If it was some other pack, God help them. They’ve got a lot of nerve pulling something like this against one of us. And to think pack relations were going pretty well.”

“We don’t know who it was, Pepper,” you said.

“I always did say nothing good could come out of eating at Don’s,” Bruce said.

Pepper threw him a chiding look.

“Ah, sorry.” He looked sheepish. “Not exactly a good time for jokes.”

The others entered the foyer from the other direction. Steve was at the forefront with Tony, though he remained behind when Tony rushed forward to examine you. His expression was severely taut, lips barely fighting back a snarl. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, sheer tension radiating off of him. You couldn’t tell whether he wanted to admonish you or go after whoever had attacked you. Either way, he looked about one second away from hauling you over his shoulder to do with you what he would.

“You all right?” Tony’s hands were on your arms as he looked you up and down, checking for injuries.

“I told you, I’m fine, Tony. Bruce can have me checked out, though, just to be safe.”

Bruce nodded. “That’d be for the best.”

“All right, go ahead. No point in wasting any time. Get her checked out and meet us in the library, both of you.”

He turned on his heel and left, while the others wished you well before eventually dispersing. Steve stayed where he was, a silent and smothering presence as his hard eyes remained glued on you. He appeared no less tense when Bruce said your name and beckoned for you to follow.

Unable to say anything, you left Steve where he stood to let him stew in whatever it was he was feeling. For his sake, you certainly hoped he didn’t think it was somehow your fault for getting struck by that car.

After getting checked out and given a clean bill of health, you left the infirmary and headed to the library alongside Bruce.

Everyone was already there when you arrived. Some were standing, while others were either seated on the couch or draped over the plush office chairs. You could feel Steve’s eyes on you the second you walked in, and a quick glance found him standing in front of the bookshelf with arms crossed as he eyed the bandage over your forehead with distaste.

“You all good?” Tony asked from one of the sofa arms.

“Clean bill of health. My headache’s already gone,” you said.

“Any lingering pain should be gone by tomorrow,” Bruce added.

Tony gave a succinct nod and stood. “All right, I think I can say none of us is currently in the mood for subtlety, so let me give you the not-so-quick rundown. You might want to sit down for this.”

Dread coursed through you. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing to be alarmed about,” Rhodey said from one of the desks.

“I’m afraid that’s a bit of a premature conclusion,” Vision said. Rhodey threw him a slightly reproachful look.

“Okay, what’s going on, guys?” you asked. “This verbal foreplay isn’t exactly helping.”

Tony tsked and shook his head in amusement. “Verbal foreplay. Okay, so basically, there’s been a third attack. Animal attack, shifter attack—humans wouldn’t know the difference. Thing is, we do. Now, at least. The attack on that human in Louisiana? The first one. The one in Tennessee? The second one. The one we just learned about today? The third one, in Pennsylvania. This time on a family of three.”

“But…how do you know it was a shifter?”

“Okay, so we’re not a _hundred_ percent sure yet, but we do know the odds of three separate wolf attacks happening so close after the other aren’t so great, unless it wasn’t a wolf-wolf and was actually a shifter.”

“These attacks aren’t random, at least not where and when they take place,” Steve added, looking directly at you. “There’s a pattern. It started in Louisiana, went up to Tennessee, then to Pennsylvania. It’s headed on a specific trajectory.”

“And…what, you think this place is next?”

Steve and Tony exchanged glances.

“We don’t know,” Tony said. “We don’t have enough information. But we do know these attacks were done on purpose. Not by a regular wolf, but a shifter.”

“When did you find out about all this?”

“While you were out to get food. We learned about the attack in Pennsylvania just now, and the pattern was impossible to ignore. Not to mention the crows the other night.”

“So you…you think whoever did these attacks had something to do with the crows?”

“We can’t be certain about it, but it’s best not to take any risks, especially considering what just happened to you.”

“What do you mean?”

Tony scratched the back of his neck and swept a hand over the group. “Right, so, the thing we haven’t all discussed yet. I…have come to the conclusion that it’d be best for you to leave the compound.”

“What?”

“Temporarily, of course. We’re not kicking you out of the pack or anything.”

“Leave the compound? Tony, what are you talking about?” said Pepper.

Tony motioned for everyone to settle down. “Easy, I’m just saying…I think it’d be in the best interest of your safety for you to stay somewhere else while we figure out what the hell’s going on here. That’s it.”

“My safety? But why me? Okay, obviously, I just got hit by a car by some unknown person, but it could’ve been meant for any one of us, right? I don’t see why I have to be the one to leave.”

Tony looked to Steve, who simply looked back with a firm gaze. He sighed. “All right, you want to know? It’s ’cause you’re an Omega.”

You began to offer a retort before he cut in.

“Omegas aren’t as common as Alphas and Betas, you know that. We all know that. And it’s not unheard of for some folks to go after Omegas and their abilities for their own nefarious purposes.”

“You think this is about my abilities? That I can’t even do?”

“Listen, I don’t know. I’m as much in the dark about this as everyone else. But you’re an Omega, all right? And that’s coveted by certain shifters. Not as a pack member, but as a lackey. Someone who’ll be subservient and carry out another’s will. And you were the one who came across the dead crows, and you’re the one who just got hit by a car. Am I the only one sensing some sort of pattern here?”

Rhodey shook his head gently before looking at you. “I hate to say it, but I think he’s onto something here.”

“Pepper was with me when we saw the crows. She was there, too,” you argued, knowing it was a lame defense.

“Are you really willing to discount all the other evidence in favor of that one coincidence?” asked Tony. “I’m doing this for your safety here, all right? It’s not some sort of punishment. Once the threat, if there is one, has been taken care of, you’ll be able to come right on back.”

“But why do I have to leave? Aren’t I safer within the protection of my own pack?”

“Look, fact of the matter is we can’t be around you 24/7. There’s always the chance that you’ll be caught on your own, and that’s all the chance it could take for something real bad to go down.”

You shook your head absently, processing everything. “Okay, fine. So…if I can’t be at the compound, where am I going to go?”

Tony took in an audible breath through his nose. “You…are going to be heading back with Mr. Rogers over here.”

“What?” you and Steve said simultaneously.

“You can’t be serious, Tony,” Steve said. “She’s not heading back to New York with me. There’s got to be another option.”

You cast him a dirty look, though he wasn’t paying attention. You weren’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of being cooped up in that tower with him for who knows how long either, but he didn’t have to be so blatantly rude about it.

“Look, would it stroke your ego if I told you you’re the one I trust the most? If anyone can take care of her, it’s you, isn’t it? Not to mention, you live in the middle of Manhattan. There’s a doozy if I’ve ever seen one. If someone’s after her, they’ll be hard pressed to do it on an island with over a million people packed into twenty-three square miles.”

“No one has to _take care_ of anyone,” you said. “There’s got to be somewhere else I can lay low, Tony. How about the Kramer pack in Massachusetts? They’re nice, right?”

A snarl came from Steve’s direction. “That Alpha’s had his sights set on you from the moment you joined this pack.”

“So?” you argued. “That just means he’d be more willing to take me in, wouldn’t it?”

Steve took a single step toward you, low growl emitting from his throat. “You’re not staying with the Kramer pack.”

“Are you kidding me? You don’t get to decide that. You’re not my Alpha.”

With his jaw clenched, he continued to glare at you with that heated gaze.

“Tony?” You turned to your Alpha.

Tony’s eyes flitted between you and Steve in confusion before he threw out his hands and heaved out a sigh. “Well, in case any of you happened to somehow miss it, I already made my decision approximately sixty seconds ago. Steve’s pack is the best option and you both know it.” He looked at Steve. “Decision’s also riding on you, buddy. So? You in or you out?”

“Don’t I get any say in this?” you asked, incredulous.

“Sorry, I’m issuing an executive order that I doubt’ll be overturned by the rest of the pack. Unless someone wants to go for it.”

He looked to the rest of the group, who looked either on the fence or like they sided with Tony.

“Like I said, it’s for your own safety.” Tony looked expectantly at Steve. “Steve?”

All eyes were on Steve. He glared down at you, muscles in his jaw still working overtime. You glared back.

You were sure he was going to say no. That was more than fine with you. Better for you to stay with someone who didn’t deign to be in your presence.

For a while, it didn’t seem he would answer. He simply stared, and you refused to be the first to back down.

Just when you were about to goad him into giving the answer you already knew was coming, his lips parted, his teeth bared.

“Fine,” he bit out. “She’s coming back with me.”


	6. New York Bound

You stepped off the elevator with your luggage in tow for the ground floor where Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce, and Vision also met up. Everyone left the building for the front terrace just as Steve’s shiny black Acura sedan rolled up, but it wasn’t Steve in the driver’s seat.

The trunk popped open before Tony stepped out of the idling vehicle and went for your bags to put in the back.

You followed to help and looked around. “Where’s Steve?”

“Lord Liberty should be on his way. Two of us were just out there doing another quick sweep of the premises to make sure nothing’s out and about lurking and he insisted on staying behind.”

“Tony, honey, your shirt is on backwards,” Pepper pointed out with wry amusement.

He cast a cursory glance at the shirt underneath his jacket. “Is it? Well, there’s a first for everything,” he mumbled to himself.

“You out there as your wolf?” asked Rhodey.

“Yup, both of us. Left my clothes in one of the trees and pulled ’em back on on the way over.” Tony slammed the trunk closed and looked at you. “He told me to bring the car around and have you securely tucked away inside until he got back. His exact words weren’t quite as diplomatic, but you get the gist.”

“I hardly think something’s going to happen to me out here in front of the building with everyone else around.”

“Can never be too safe. Now hop in. He sounded pretty adamant about it and I’m not in the mood for a tantrum of wolfish proportions. Don’t know if you’re aware, but the man’s capable of growling up a storm whenever the mood strikes.” He laid a hand on your back and steered you toward the passenger seat before stopping short. “Nope, never mind, spoke too soon.”

You followed his gaze to where Steve, as his wolf, strode toward the group with a calm and quiet self-possession you secretly envied. He’d cleared the woods and was trotting over, his bountiful fur that mirrored his natural hair color gently swaying with the breeze.

As he drew closer, it became easier to make out that his striking pale blue irises, almost unsettling when juxtaposed with the searing black of his pupils, were locked right on you, and the sight of his large, intimidating wolf had you momentarily forgetting that there was a human contained somewhere within that frame designed for speed and hunting. For a minute, you forgot it was Steve you were gazing upon and not a simple apex predator. Although shifters retained much of their human faculties in wolf form, those faculties often took a backseat when the wolf’s more basic instincts prevailed.

It seemed Steve’s basic instincts had edged their way to the forefront when his eyes dropped almost indiscernibly to something past your arm and his lips curled up in a fierce snarl, revealing sharp white incisors.

Heart thumping heavily at the unexpected display of aggression, you took an instinctive step back, inadvertently pressing up against Tony’s hand and then a portion of his chest, and Steve snarled again.

“Did I do something?” you asked, wary and, if you were being honest, more than a little frightened.

Steve’s pace had picked up. Tony chose that moment to put another hand under your elbow, the action coming off as calculated. Steve’s wolfish glare turned even more murderous and his vicious snarls grew louder.

Tony abruptly dropped his hands, ceasing all contact except for where you were still pressed up against the side of his chest. “Yeah, no. Not you.”

“What? What does that mean?”

You dug yourself back against Tony’s chest, making a furtive attempt to edge behind him and make a break for it if necessary, which only seemed to incense Steve further. You dimly registered Rhodey somewhere behind you simply saying, “Tony,” and Tony promptly reached around to drag you back to his front.

“What the hell, Tony?” you protested, desperately attempting to escape his hold.

“Not particularly interested in going one-on-one with his wolf today,” was all he said as he wrangled you in front of him and gave you a not-so-gentle nudge forward so that you stood well apart from him.

Steve was showing only mild signs of slowing, and you were sure he was going to barrel right into you before doing God knows what. Your human instincts left you reeling with either fight or flight, and your body chose the latter.

Just as Steve closed the distance, direct gaze fixed on you, you bolted to your right in a mad dash to make it back inside.

“Yeah, I don’t think running’s the best idea!” Tony yelled out.

A loud, deep growl sounded behind you and you knew you wouldn’t make it inside without him coming in right after you. At the last second, as you caught sight of him in the reflection of the windows, you banked a hard left away from the doors and circled in the direction of your car.

Steve came after you easily. You wanted desperately to make it to the car where you could either throw yourself inside or clamber up onto the roof and hopefully keep him at bay, but in human form, you were no match for his wolf. Still, you barreled on, and even as you ran, some basic part of you knew that the only reason you’d outrun him for this long was because he was letting you.

“Tony, what the hell are you doing? Why are we just standing here?” Pepper yelled in obvious distress. Tony’s response was inaudible.

Thinking it would take too long to pull the door open and get inside, you jumped on the hood once you reached the car and climbed gracelessly up the roof on your hands and knees. Steve watched intently from the grass right next to the car. At nearly four feet tall, his wolf was easily able to rear back on its hind legs and press its massive front paws to the windows, jostling the car a bit as it went.

You gasped, skittering to the edge of the roof farthest from him, and his lips curled back again, though it was decidedly less menacing than before. You resisted the strong urge to look back at the others, too focused on the giant wolf in front of you. Great help they were in all of this.

You were considering shifting into your own wolf and trying to escape in the other direction when all of a sudden, Steve removed his paws from the car and took a step back. He merely watched you.

“What…is wrong with you, you crazy wolf?” As you were still trying to catch your breath, the effect of your angry tone was more diluted than you wished.

As expected, he didn’t answer. He cocked his head and just stood there, almost like he was waiting for something. The dangerous vibes from before were somehow gone, his presence no longer such a threat.

“What are you doing, trying to eat me?” you scolded. “What is your problem, Rogers? I was just out there minding my own business and then all of a sudden you come barreling towards me like some deranged wolf? No way in hell I’m getting in a car to go stay with you.”

His eyes narrowed, but he stayed right where he was. He turned his attention away from you and bared his teeth when Tony approached with a charcoal-colored overnight bag, his hands up in surrender.

“Put on quite a show there. Easy, Rogers, I have no designs on—” His eyes briefly flickered in your direction. “Anything. Popped this from the trunk. You like to keep clothes in here for when you shift back, right? Thought I might bring it over so you could do that. ‘That’ meaning, you know, shift. You seem to have caught on a bit, but you know, you’re really scaring the daylights out of her, Steve. Maybe it’s time to come down a bit?”

He was clearly no longer alarmed by Steve’s behavior. On the contrary, he seemed rather amused. You looked on in bewilderment as he circled the car and dropped the bag at the side not visible to the others.

“Tony, even if he shifts, I’m not getting in a car with him. Didn’t you just see? He tried to kill me! Thanks for helping, by the way.”

“Mm, yeah, about that. You were never in any danger. He was definitely not trying to kill you. If anything, he was trying to kill me. And I use the term ‘kill’ very loosely here.” He tossed a quick, irreverent smile at Steve, who looked not in the least amused. “Don’t worry, no one was ever going to come away hurt once things were straightened out. Not too badly anyway.”

“Kill you? Just because I wasn’t in the car when he got back? Jesus, Steve, we were getting there, you know. You didn’t have to come after me like some lunatic.”

Tony stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “You didn’t have to run, you know.”

“Are you seriously trying to blame me?”

“Not at all. Just saying, he’s a wolf. If you run, he’s going to give chase. You’re a wolf. You know that.”

“I’m also human, and my human instincts told me to run. What else was I supposed to do?”

Tony eyed Steve, seemingly studying him. “He’s an Alpha. What do you think?”

You tore your eyes away from Tony and looked at the wolf in question, who remained watching you patiently. The way he trained his gaze on you so unflinchingly was almost unnerving, and even though he was no longer snarling and growling, you were still very much aware of who exactly there was the predator and who the prey.

“I’ll leave you to it, then,” Tony told Steve. He glanced at the bag and nudged it with his foot. “Dropped it there for you if you’re worried about preserving your modesty or whatever. Meantime, we’ll be back there. Still haven’t said our goodbyes yet.” He turned to you. “And just saying, you might also want to come down from there. It’ll put him at ease, and the sooner that happens, the better for all of us.”

“Why? I’m not going down there while he’s still a wolf.”

“Hon, I’m telling you, as a fellow Alpha male, I know better than anyone that he’s itchin’ something fierce right now, and that itch can’t be scratched unless you come back down.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Please. As Alpha of your pack, just trust me. And know that you’re safe. Coming down, leaving for New York with him, whatever—just…safe.” He threw one last glance at Steve, hands coming up again in surrender, before sauntering away.

You kept a close eye on Steve as he watched Tony’s retreat with narrowed eyes. Then he redirected his attention back to you, eyes relaxing.

Exasperated, you began the careful climb down. “I’m only coming down ’cause Tony’s my Alpha and I trust him.”

When you at last made it down, Steve promptly closed in and dug his snout into your belly.

“Oh—what are you doing?” You tried to simultaneously draw back and push him away, but he only followed your movements and insisted on sniffing you more thoroughly than you’d ever thought was possible.

Instinctively, your hands came down on his head to keep him at bay, where they were immediately met with fur softer and fluffier than your favorite fleece blanket. Without any conscious thought on your end, your hands relaxed where they rested on him, your attempts to push him away quickly losing vigor, and you succumbed to the comforting sensation of his warm, downy coat. Before you realized it, you were stroking his fur in quiet contentment.

Steve quickly ceased his movements and, to your surprise, closed his eyes, nose still resting on your belly as he basked in your gentle strokes. It felt way too intimate, but he looked in no hurry to move, and if you were being honest, you were quite enjoying the moment, too. He was no longer a big bad wolf but an oversized, affectionate dog.

Then his nose swiftly came down to the region past your belly where he proceeded to sniff enthusiastically.

“Whoa, whoa!” You hurriedly backed away and this time, he made no move to follow. “What do you think you’re doing? Way out of bounds, Steve! I know your wolf is more in control right now, but I know you can understand me. Being a wolf gives you no more right to sniff around down there. You can’t just go around doing that to people.”

He huffed out a short breath, like he was merely annoyed with your reprimand and didn’t plan on seriously heeding your words.

“Alphas,” you muttered, rolling your eyes.

You turned on your heel and were heading for his car in front of the entrance when Steve bumped your back with his nose.

“Ow! Hey!” you complained, even though it didn’t really hurt.

With you twisted halfway around, he bounded over to your front and rubbed his face determinedly over your body, wherever he could reach. It was impossible to escape, and you were too puzzled to try in earnest.

You weren’t one of his pack. He didn’t have any obligation to see you to safety, and yet there he was, nuzzling you like there was no tomorrow. You couldn’t imagine why he’d done any of it, from going after you to rubbing up against you. You would have thought his wolf would treat you the same as his human did—with coldness or indifference, the previous morning and night excepting. Those had just been flukes.

As he continued to rub himself against every spot he could manage, you sighed and simply took it, unconsciously petting him all the while. “You seriously confuse me, Steve.”

When he finally decided his task was accomplished, he dug his nose into the hem of your top, pushing it up until he met bare skin. He gave a few final sniffs there and surprised you yet again when his tongue flicked out and he gave the exposed skin of your belly a swift lick.

You jumped at the sensation, too taken aback to speak, but he paid it no mind as he trotted to the other side of the car and began to shift.

Gasping, you whirled around before you could catch sight of any nude body parts, though the car already did a good job of blocking the view. You were positive that he would prefer you not to ogle him while he was in such a vulnerable, or any, state. Deciding you didn’t want to be plagued with hyperawareness of his every movement, you left him to pull his clothes on and headed for the car up front.

You were still saying goodbye to the others when he finally walked up in dark jeans and a brown shirt under a black leather jacket, bag in tow.

“You ready?” he asked, unsmiling. His gaze wasn’t on you but instead roved over the others.

Looked like everything was back to normal.

You pulled away from Pepper and got in the passenger seat without looking at him. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Steve exchanged swift goodbyes with the others before getting in the driver’s seat. He didn’t glance at you once as he adjusted the settings. “Hot? Cold?”

“I’m fine.”

Two taps sounded above your head at the same time you noticed Tony hunched over on the other side of your window. He made a motion for you to lower it.

“Counting on you to look after her, Rogers. Whatever this is will be dealt with sooner rather than later, but better to be safe than sorry,” he said through the open window.

“I got it, Tony. There’s no need to remind me.”

“Just saying. That’s one of my pack you got in this car. Safety’s of the utmost importance when it comes to her. Isn’t it?”

A silent exchange passed between the two men.

“Yeah. It is.” Steve was stone-faced as he rolled up the window. “Thanks for the hospitality.”

“Tell everyone we say hi.” Tony tossed you a casual wink just as the window came all the way up, and then you were off.

The first half hour or so was largely spent in silence with only the playlist of alternative rock playing at mid-volume in the background. But there were still about two hours to go, and if they continued in the same manner, it was going to be the longest two hours of your life.

You shifted in your seat to gaze out the window. Once you’d made it onto the highway, there wasn’t much of a view, and after the little sleep you’d had the night before, you found your lids quickly drooping. You drifted off into that strange sort of slumber, the restless kind where one didn’t realize they’d fallen asleep until they were jerked back to awareness.

Your dreams were a vague jumble of nonsensical sounds and images. Then came a clearer one that pervaded all of your senses. Steve was there. He came up behind you, sliding his arms tight around your waist and pressing his strong body against your back. In return, you held onto muscular forearms generously dusted with hair. You couldn’t see him, but you could tell he was half-man, half-wolf. Even asleep, you were aware that shifters were always either in human or wolf form, with no state halfway. Maybe it was the undeniably raw, animalistic energy emanating from dream Steve that made you sense his wolf was in just as much control over him as was his human.

In his imprisoning hold, there was no hope of escape. Nuzzling your hair, your neck, he locked you tightly to him and pressed further into you, like he couldn’t ever get close enough. He held you in the way a child might when their most precious possession was in danger of being taken away, except there was no doubt that the one crowding you from behind was all man.

The deep growl that fell from his lips reverberated through his chest and straight into yours before you felt the wet heat of his tongue come down on the side of your neck to lick a slow, purposeful path up the sensitive skin.

“Mine,” he growled.

You shivered in the cage of his arms as his ragged breaths ghosted over your skin and he tugged on the lobe of your ear with alarmingly sharp teeth before speaking directly into your ear.

“You have no idea…how much I want…to _devour_ you.”

His voice was guttural, raw, like he was more beast than man in that moment. But there was nothing in you that was afraid. Some instinctual part of you buried deep down knew that you were in no danger, that, in fact, you’d never been more safe. The only thing that might have caused any alarm was how deep his need for you seemed to be. He was ravenous, like a long-deprived man who was only one second away from shedding all remnants of civilization in order to satisfy his dark, animal needs. Whose sole objective was to see, and want, and conquer. To take, and take, and take.

One second you were upright, and then the next there was an impatient growl filling up your ears and you were somehow lying flat on a mattress, belly-first. Big hands yanked at your ankles to pull you to the foot of the bed and before you knew it, the lower half of your clothes were ripped right off. When you turned over your shoulder, you almost wished you hadn’t.

Steve stood behind you, the sapphire of his human eyes replaced by the pale blue of his wolf as they glinted with carnal need. Below, the razor-sharp white of his canines came forth as he bared his teeth. He looked angry. He looked hungry.

Turning back around, you clawed at the sheets and pleaded with desperate need. “_Steve_.”

A rough, masculine hand came down on one of your lower cheeks, gripping and kneading the flesh as he bent forward to blanket your body heat with his own. “Shh, baby girl. Your Alpha’s here to take good care of you.”

_Your Alpha’s here to take good care of you…_

_Your Alpha’s here to take good care of you…_

_Your Alpha’s here to take good ca—_

You woke with a heavy start.

Nothing seemed real at first. The hum of the engine, the black leather seats, the cars passing by. You were still caught in the grips of that now elusive dream, the dream that was quickly slipping from your grasp like wispy tendrils of smoke.

All too soon, you were hit with reality. You were trapped in a car with a man you didn’t like and who didn’t like you, on your way to stay for who knows how long with that very same man. And you’d just had a dream of epically dirty proportions about him while he sat right next to you the whole time, blissfully unaware. You were mortified.

Steve eyed you from the driver’s seat. “Welcome back.”

You shifted in your seat, discreetly trying to rid yourself of that pulsing ache down below. “How long was I out?” you asked perfunctorily, glancing at the clock.

“About half an hour. You hungry?”

Yeah, you were hungry. In more ways than one.

Fighting back the heat that had taken over your face, you avoided looking in his direction and turned to the window, taking in nothing. “Ye-yeah, I’m hungry.” You had to clear your throat when, to your extreme embarrassment, your voice cracked.

“We’ll find some place to sit down.”

Sit down. Meaning you had to sit there and endure a meal together in awkward silence.

“We can’t just eat in the car?”

“I don’t like eating in the car. Too messy.”

“I can be very neat.”

He threw you a brief, questioning look before turning back to the road and shaking his head lightly. “We’re not eating in the car.”

Fine. His car, his rules.

After a short back and forth of where to eat, he eventually pulled into the parking lot of a mom and pop restaurant he liked to stop at whenever he made the drive to and from the compound. You opted for a booth by the window. There were a few other customers, but otherwise, it was pretty quiet.

A college-aged boy with thick-rimmed glasses and fashionably unruly hair approached the booth with a notepad in hand. “Hey, how are you two doing today? Can I start you off with any drinks?”

Steve threw a quick glance around the restaurant. “Where’s Mara?”

“Oh, mom caught a nasty stomach bug. She hasn’t been in for a few days. I’m covering for her.”

Steve sighed and nodded toward you before looking over the menu. “She’ll go first.”

The young man turned to you somewhat shyly.

“Oh, I’ll just have a…root beer, I guess. And I think I’m ready to order as well.” You looked in question to Steve, who nodded before you could ask if he was ready, too.

After taking the orders, the waiter collected the menus. “Your food will be right out. If you need anything, my name’s Tyler.” He briefly met your eye and his cheeks flushed with a faint tint of pink before he left.

“He likes you,” Steve said casually.

You shrugged lightly. “We all get crushes every now and then.”

You tried to imagine Steve going through something as common and frivolous as crushes could sometimes be. You tried to picture him in the throes of infatuation, going through that heady rush of chemicals that fueled his need to see or be near the object of his affections.

You couldn’t. He seemed too self-contained, too in control of himself. He was a paragon of discipline and restraint. Apart from just an hour ago, that was.

Oddly enough, you found you were more easily able to envision him in another kind of role. A man in love.

You imagined he was a man who didn’t fall easily, and fell hard when he did. As reserved and reticent as he was, it was those very qualities that had you believing he was a man who felt all things intensely, even if it never showed on the surface.

He would be the type to love deeply and all-consumingly. Even if he didn’t have a wolf inside of him that abided by the culture of monogamy inherent to shifters, you somehow knew that he would be forever faithful to his love, steadfast and true. Not out of duty or under a flimsy veil of prescribed morality, but because no other woman would ever compare and the sheer notion of finding that depth of trust or emotion or physical need with another, deliberately or not—of betraying the one he cared for most—was unthinkable. His love would be an unimaginable force, all at once a clear summer day and a raging, stormy night. He’d love with all he was and with all he had.

Your wolf already hated the woman he would one day end up with. Not by virtue of any of her own qualities, whatever they would be, but because she’d have the everlasting devotion of the potent and austere man who sat before you and be able to call him her own.

You wondered what kind of woman she would have to be to merit the affections of such a man as Steve and if she’d realize just how lucky she was.

The drinks soon arrived and you took a healthy sip, not knowing what to say. From the corner of your eye, you saw Steve gazing listlessly out the window while he toyed absently with his drink.

Deciding he seemed placid enough, you ventured, “So, are you ever going to mention what that was all about earlier?”

He shifted his gaze toward you. His expression was too aloof, unreadable. “Earlier?”

“Yeah, you know. When I made the pretty reasonable assumption that you were trying to kill me.”

He sighed and sat back in his seat. “I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

“Well, I know that now. So what exactly was going on? Why’d you go after me like that?”

“I was going after Tony at first. Then you ran and my wolf gave chase.”

“Why?”

“I’m a wolf.”

“No, I know that. I meant why were you going after Tony? He told me how you wanted me in the car when you got back and I was just about to get in when you showed up.”

He looked to the tabletop, hand resting next to his drink. “It wasn’t about the fact that you weren’t in the car.”

“So what was it?”

He arched an eyebrow. “We playing Twenty Questions now?”

You reined in the growing offense at the notion that he seemed to think you were being too inquisitive. “Forgive me, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask after the reason you came at me out of nowhere like that.”

“I was never going to hurt you.”

“It’s not like I knew that at the time.”

“If you’d looked around, you’d have seen that no one else seemed to be too alarmed by what was going on.”

“It’s not exactly the first thing on my mind to take note of my surroundings when I’m being chased by an angry, giant wolf.”

“Look, harming you was the furthest thing from my mind. If you’ll recall, I did nothing of the sort once you came down from the car.”

Right, he just acted like an overprotective, territorial wolf for reasons highly unknown to you instead.

“Is it really so bad that you won’t just tell me? Is it embarrassing or something? Look, I’m not here to judge. I just think I should know so that hopefully there won’t be another misunderstanding like that in the future.”

He took a casual sip of his drink, stormy blue eyes fixed on you over the rim. “It was a major lapse of judgment on my part and it won’t happen again. Let’s leave it at that.”

It was getting harder by the second to hold in your frustration. “Right. Whatever you say goes.”

His eyes narrowed minutely.

You scooted out from the booth, lips pressed tightly together. “I’m going to the restroom.”

He said nothing as you left. In the restroom, you washed your hands for lack of anything else to do, fuming privately at the sink.

What horrible judgment on the part of your subconscious to have such an embarrassing, visceral dream about him. He was a typical Alpha—domineering and condescending, always thinking he knew best. He just liked to paint a pretty picture of civility on top of it. Maybe instead of envying the woman he would end up with, you should have felt sympathy for her.

You fixed yourself up a little when you caught your reflection, but you couldn’t quite school the taut line of your mouth. Huffing out a clipped breath, you shut your eyes briefly in an effort to collect yourself and exited.

The food was already at the table when you arrived. Apart from a few sentences here and there, you and Steve ate your soups and sandwiches in silence. He paid for the meal before you could even blink and stared icily at Tyler when he asked how the food was and his eyes landed on you just a little too long. Tyler caught his eye and made a hasty exit after that.

The remainder of the car ride was uneventful. For the first half hour or so after getting back on the road, there was a mild edge of tension to the air, but it dissipated by the time you were nearing the city.

As you gazed upward at the approaching skyline, you caught Steve stealing glances at you from the side. When you faced him, he turned the music down.

“One thing I didn’t mention to you earlier—your abilities.”

“What about them?”

“You said you didn’t know how to use them. Well, I think you may be getting the hang of it. Or starting to, at least.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I was still a wolf. I was…”

“Threatening me? Going after me like you were going to attack me?”

“Sniffing you.”

Your face turned hot and you turned away. “What about it?”

“You were petting me, stroking my fur, and…all of a sudden, I felt calm. And it wasn’t my own doing.”

“So you think it was me?”

“I do. So what were you doing then to calm me? Were you aware?”

“No, I had no idea.”

“Well, whatever it was, it seemed to do the trick. Just hang onto that and you could be in control of your abilities before you know it.”

You thought back to the moment in question. You remembered the feel of his wolf’s fur, the serenity you’d surrendered to as you concentrated on nothing but the pure sensations brought on by contentment and companionship. Was it possible that you transferred that feeling of calm onto Steve? Once again, you were completely unaware of it each time you’d utilized those so-called Omega abilities. You mulled it over as you endured the traffic.

It was still afternoon when you made it to Midtown. The hustle and bustle of the city provided a good distraction from your wandering thoughts. Part of you missed the liveliness of the sleepless metropolis, but another part relished the privacy and slower pace that could come with smaller cities.

It was easy to miss the tower since all the skyscrapers loomed so large that their full scope was impossible to measure from the confines of a car and it was difficult to tell one from the other, but Steve easily maneuvered the car into the designated basement parking garage. He parked next to a black Harley-Davidson, which you gathered was his, and got out to unload your luggage from the back. You held out a hand wordlessly to ease his burden, but he ignored it and slammed the trunk closed before heading for the elevator, bags in tow.

“And you’re sure you’re okay with me staying over?” you asked inside the elevator.

“Well, looks like I don’t really have a choice, do I?” He glanced over when you didn’t reply, lips tipping up in a faint smile. “That was a joke. You’re more than welcome. Besides, you’ll have plenty of room for yourself. No one’s encroaching on anyone’s space here.”

Natasha and Wanda shared an apartment on one of the lower floors, with Bucky and Sam occupying another apartment on the same floor. Clint, on the other hand, lived with his human mate and their family in Queens. Seeing as there was more than one spare room in Steve’s penthouse apartment, it made sense that you stay there. You just didn’t know how often you’d actually be directly around him.

Standing side by side with Steve, you waited out the rest of the ride, patient but a little anxious.

Then, right on cue, the elevator doors opened up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steve, keep that wolf of yours in check! Jeez.
> 
> p.s. This is a fictional story where everyone can afford NYC apartments without question. :) And I imagine a penthouse occupied by Steve would look vastly different from one occupied by Tony. I'll be taking creative liberties with the layout of it k thanksss


	7. Home for Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Found an apartment to model Steve's place after! If you want a clear picture in your head of what it looks like, [here](https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/yorkville/40-east-end-avenue/apartment-PH17/UsEvjOdmueBU) is a link to the floor plan along with the very few pics they have. (Edit: ok so apparently the pics on that site won't show up on mobile ughhghghgh sry)
> 
> And [here](https://imgur.com/a/GxH92Hq) is a link to some more pics I gathered that feature how I envision Steve's wolf and other rooms in his apartment (living room, his room, your room).

Steve beckoned with his head for you to go first, body heat right at your back as he followed you in. The foyer, with its light oak flooring, was polished and modern, decorated with a long end table displaying various knickknacks and a framed piece of art adorning the wall. With the natural light spilling in through the open door leading to the kitchen at your left, the entryway was open and inviting, tasteful without being too alien.

Steve observed patiently as you took it all in, glancing around as if he was trying to see it through your eyes. “This is it. Kitchen and living room are on the left. Bedrooms are that way.” He nodded to another open door up ahead.

You stifled a short, incredulous laugh. You, without a doubt, did not run in the same circles—not even the same hemisphere—as those who dwelled in these types of places, never had. Before the compound, you’d been used to tiny, cramped apartments with less than ideal amenities. You were grateful that if you’d had to become a shifter at all, you were at least able to enjoy the freedom granted by the expansive property of the compound.

You understood now when Steve had said you’d have plenty of room for yourself. The apartment didn’t come off as unnecessarily massive, but there was definitely sufficient breathing room here. You wondered if the length of time he’d been around had anything to do with his ability to afford such a place.

“I guess you want to see where you’ll be staying.”

You nodded, finally tearing your eyes away from your surroundings to find Steve watching you closely. You tensed under his scrutiny, wishing he’d stop looking at you with that odd look in his eye, like you were an anomalous speck that had been unceremoniously dumped into the carefully curated web that was his life and he didn’t quite know what to do with you.

Then, like he suddenly remembered where he was, his gaze broke off, though the tension in his face remained. “Follow me,” he said, already moving ahead.

The faint, alluring scent of aftershave swirled in the air as he moved and you followed, distinctly more aware than ever that you did not belong there.

“There’s another spare bedroom there.” He indicated to the first door on the left in the hallway. “Figured you’d want the larger one.”

At the end of the hall, he opened another door, holding it open as you brushed past him timidly. 

The view was the first thing to grab your attention. Thick slants of late afternoon light infused the room through floor-to-ceiling windows, and just beyond them, the vast skyline stood anchored like a breathtaking collection of still life art, close enough to touch. In plain sight was the United Nations Headquarters, the East River, the Chrysler Building. Beyond that, you could make out downtown in the distance, while moving cars dotted the streets far down below.

Off to the side, a small settee was nestled in the corner and behind you, an enticing pile of pillows adorned the bed. The dresser stood along the opposite wall. The room consisted of muted, understated hues such as gray, white, black, and beige, and was sparsely but stylishly furnished.

“Closets are over here, and bathroom’s right in there.” Steve had deposited your bags by the bed and gestured to another door off to the side. You followed his gaze, able only to fiddle with your fingers. At your silence, he added, somewhat self-consciously, you thought, “Is this okay? The room?”

Your lips parted, but no sound came out. You could only nod.

“If it turns out you like the other room better, you can stay there. It’s right next door. Whatever you choose, it doesn’t make a difference to me. Ah, what I mean is—it doesn’t matter. It’s your choice. I’d like for you to feel comfortable here.”

Unbidden, a flush rose to your cheeks.

“So, now that I’ve shown you to your room, would you like a tour? Or maybe you want to get settled in first. It’s up to you.”

Even when he was letting you call the shots, however small they were, it managed to make you feel like everything was riding on this one decision.

Your first instinct was to decline an immediate tour. You were still out of sorts, feeling displaced and adrift. Maybe you could get a tour later once you were in control of your bearings, or even explore by yourself. But you didn’t want to somehow manage to be caught someplace you shouldn’t be or touch something you shouldn’t touch. Better for him to show you around now so you could become acquainted with the layout right away.

Reminding yourself to take deeper breaths, you said, “A tour sounds nice.”

He waited until you reached him before moving.

“Again, this is the other room,” he said as he opened the other door in the hall. “But between you and me, the view in your room is better.” He gave you a small, good-natured smile.

When you made it to the other end of the hall, he gestured to a closed door on the right. “And if you ever need me for any reason, my room’s right in there.”

Stupidly, you felt your skin flash with heat all over at the mention of his room.

Back in the foyer, he pointed out the small screen by the ornate doors shrouding the elevators that showed who was in the elevator before he allowed anyone in. Then you were shown the powder room, the laundry room, and another spare bedroom that was used as an office before landing in the kitchen where the cabinets were white and there was an island with a couple of barstools. With the open floor plan, the breakfast room off to the side was plainly visible and the dining table sat at a point halfway between the kitchen and living room. You moved past the table into the living room where several plush off-white couches and a large square coffee table sat atop an off-white rug. The whole area was bright and airy with high ceilings and massive windows that offered a stunning view of the city.

“It’s gorgeous. I can’t believe you live here,” you said.

“All the credit goes to my interior decorator,” Steve said, hands in his pockets.

“You really have this all to yourself?”

“At the end of the day, yeah. The rest of the pack likes to come and go. Helps fill the empty space a little more.”

“It gets a little lonely?” You immediately offered a weak chuckle, hoping you hadn’t been completely devoid of tact by asking.

He accepted the question with good humor. “You could say that,” he said, adding when you moved to gaze out the window, “You’re probably wondering why I even need a whole floor to myself, huh?”

You affected a nonchalant shrug. “It’s none of my business.”

He didn’t reply except to say, “There’s a small terrace right off the breakfast room if you’re ever in the need for some fresh air without having to leave the building. Fridge is fully stocked, anything you might need for laundry is all here. Feel free to make use of anything around here as you see fit. If there’s anything else you need somewhere down the road, don’t hesitate to ask. I want you to make yourself at home.” His voice softened at that last part, making him sound gentle, almost nurturing.

Something in you grew warm at the thought of making his home your home, however temporary. You lived at the Stark pack compound, so you weren’t completely unfamiliar with certain domestic luxuries that an ample amount of wealth could afford. It was the simple fact that it was Steve’s private space that made you feel like an intruder.

Your nerves were further compounded by the fact that he’d found out you’d be staying with him only hours ago. He hadn’t woken up that morning expecting such a thing, and now he probably felt obliged to play the part of dutiful host even if he had absolutely no desire to.

As far as you were concerned, you’d be perfectly fine if he conveniently managed to avoid you for the duration of your stay. You weren’t looking to be a bother or to get in the way. As long as you had the basics, you’d be fine with keeping to yourself.

“I think I’ll be okay. Honestly, I don’t need much,” you said softly, turning to face him. “Thanks, Steve. I know I was kind of just thrust upon you and you didn’t have to do any of this. I know it’s kind of a burden to have me stay here so unexpectedly, so I…I appreciate it. I promise, you won’t even know I’m here.”

Something unreadable flickered across his face. Something almost like regret. His lips parted, but it took a moment for the words to come. “Like I said, if there’s anything else you need, just let me know.”

You nodded feebly.

“You hungry at all?” he asked as he moved toward the kitchen. “I’ve got plenty here if you’re in the mood for Italian. Or we can order in. Maybe pizza, or there’s a good Thai place nearby.”

You shook your head. Your stomach was too tied up in knots for you to have any sort of appetite.

“You know what, how about I find something to whip up here, see if I can’t get you interested then?” he asked, a teasing note in his voice.

You followed him hesitantly. “You didn’t have any plans, did you? I mean, I’m not taking you away from anything?”

He briefly glanced up from where he was rifling through the drawers. “No.”

“Oh. I just don’t want to make you feel like you have to stay with me if there’s somewhere else you need to be. I’d be perfectly fine here by myself, honestly.”

“Really, there’s nowhere I have to be. It’s Saturday evening and you’re looking at the king of not having fun, as Sam puts it.”

An easy laugh escaped your lips, with Steve’s lips tugging into a modest smile as a result. Feeling slightly more at ease, you settled into one of the barstools.

“So, if you don’t mind my asking, what exactly is it that you do?” You’d heard it had something to do with art, but you weren’t exactly clear on the details.

“I teach art at a public middle school in Brooklyn.”

“Oh, wow. That’s…” Adorable. And somehow completely incongruent with how you pictured him. He clearly didn’t need the work if his apartment was anything to go by. “Awesome.”

He shook his head as he retrieved the butter and oil to heat up on the stove. “It can be some days. Other days, I ask myself what on earth made me think it was a good idea to work with kids.”

“So why middle school? Or did you not have a choice?”

“No, I had a choice. I just thought they’re at that midway point between being a little kid and a full-blown teenager. Maybe I thought they’d be easier to handle somehow.”

“And they’re not?”

He paused in his work to fix you with a pointed look. “They’re not.”

You laughed.

“In all seriousness, though, they’re not all bad. The good days outweigh the bad ones. Those are the ones that make me feel like it’s worth it. And you? You’re at that bookstore, right?”

You nodded, holding in your surprise that he knew, though you supposed it shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. “Yeah, the next town over, the one that’s managed by one of the other shifters in the area.”

“How’s she taking your leave of absence?”

“She was extremely understanding about it. It also doesn’t hurt that she has a soft spot for me and told me my job would be waiting for me whenever I got back.”

He hummed in response.

“So, is this how you usually like to relax on the weekends? Cooking?”

“Oh, no.” He chuckled and shook his head as he chopped the onions and garlic. “I’m far from an experienced cook. Probably not even intermediate at that.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“Maybe you’re just easily fooled.” He flickered his gaze up to yours, gracing you with a closed-lip smile that etched a dimple in his cheek. “But like I said, if you’re looking to join the life of the party, I’m probably not your best bet. The others in the pack will probably tell you I’m not the guy you turn to in order to let loose.”

“Why do I get the feeling that their idea of letting loose sorely mismatches your idea of it?”

“Probably because you’ve met us at least once in your life.”

You laughed.

“You any good at karaoke?”

Your grimace was all the answer he needed.

Chuckling, he said, “Probably for the best. If you were any good, Sam would probably drag you out of here this very second and every weeknight after. I’m sure Bucky’d be grateful for the reprieve.”

“Huh. Sam doesn’t strike me as the karaoke type.”

“There are a lot of things about him that might surprise you.”

“You said they like to come and go, the rest of the pack?”

“Only if I’m here. They can’t get in otherwise.”

“I guess I’ll probably be seeing them soo—”

A buzz sounded from the far left.

“Speak of the devil.” Steve wiped his hands with the towel before heading for the elevator. He activated the monitor, glancing at the screen before looking back at you, wry look on his face. “You in the mood for the welcome wagon?”

You shrugged loosely with a come-what-may gesture. With a turn of the lock on Steve’s end, the door covering the elevator opened and Natasha and Wanda stepped into the foyer.

“Elevator reeks extra strong of you today, Steve,” Natasha said, carrying a bag of groceries. “What, you rub your scent against every inch of the place? What are we, animals?”

Steve tried not to roll his eyes as he followed her and Wanda into the kitchen.

“We come bearing gifts of the food variety,” Wanda told you as she placed a bag on the counter. “We hope you’re in the mood for pasta.”

“I was actually just making spaghetti bolognese,” said Steve.

“Oh. We can work with that,” Natasha said, giving the onions and garlic in the pan another stir. Wanda went to work preparing the other ingredients.

“Sure, just take over, why don’t you? It’s not like I already had it covered or anything.” Steve plopped onto the stool next to you, his knee almost touching yours.

“You’re not usually one to cook, Steve. What, are you trying to impress a certain someone around here?” Natasha said.

“I’m being a good host.”

“You never host us like this.” She smirked over her shoulder.

“Maybe if you didn’t come around so much that you’re practically furniture, I’d pull out all the stops more often.”

“How charming.” Natasha turned to you. “He’s so charming. Not our fault he has the nicest place out of all of us.” Then she leaned over the counter on her elbows, facing you. “Anyway, it’s good to see you hanging around our neck of the woods. Word on the street is you’ll be staying with our Alpha for a while.”

“I guess the word is right.”

“To be honest, we were all a little intrigued at the thought of you shacking up with Steve,” Wanda chimed in.

Natasha bit back a smile and Steve shifted in his seat, looking like a long-suffering father of a couple of teenagers.

Wanda looked offended. “What?”

“I think that expression has a different connotation than you think it does,” said Natasha.

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Wanda looked unamused. “You know I hate when you guys do that.”

Natasha turned back to you. “I think it’ll be good to have a little feminine touch around here. God knows Steve needs it.”

“Thanks, Natasha,” he said.

“But looks like we’ll have you all to ourselves for a little while, however regrettable the circumstances may be. What’s going on there, by the way? Steve didn’t really go into detail about the whole thing.”

“Honestly? I don’t know much either. I don’t think anyone does. But with everything that’s gone on, Tony thought it’d be best to just send me away somewhere. Hopefully, if it’s another pack for some reason, they’ll take care of it before I get back.”

Natasha nodded, considering something. “We heard about the whole car incident. Can’t blame Tony for wanting his pack safe.”

“Especially considering you’re an Omega,” Steve added. “You never know what some people out there would do to have control over someone like you.”

“Do you really think that’s what this is about?” you asked.

“I don’t know, but we—Tony was right to keep your safety in mind.”

“Hey, you got a whole other pack that’s got your back if someone decided to be stupid enough to come after you,” Natasha said. “Besides, this is New York City. It’s not like anything interesting ever happens around here.”

The sun disappeared over the horizon as the four of you dined at the table, bathing the extensive space firstly with burnt, sedate orange until it faded into the shimmering darkness of the cityscape at night. As ordinary as the activity was, it was far from mundane, almost taking on the form of an out-of-body experience. There you were, sat next to the Alpha of the Rogers pack, whom, for the life of you, you could never seem to get a handle on, and two of his pack members, enjoying a meal together like you were something like friends. Like family.

At one point over dinner, Steve’s and your hands grazed the other’s when you reached for the salt at the same time and you pulled back instantly as if you’d been burnt. Steve simply took the salt shaker and placed it gently by your plate, a wordless indication for you to use it first. You did so, then kept that hand on your lap where it couldn’t be seen for a good while after, trying not to feel the residual heat of his touch coursing up and down your fingers.

After dinner, you helped clean up. You had just stacked the last dish in the dishwasher when Natasha told Steve, “We’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Tomorrow?” he asked from the table.

“Did you forget? It’s Lila’s birthday tomorrow,” said Wanda.

Steve appeared to think it over before muttering, “Shit.”

“And you promised Clint he could throw the party here.”

“Yeah, I know, I know.”

“You don’t suddenly have plans, do you?” asked Natasha.

“No, I just forgot. It’s not a big deal. The party’s still on.”

“I hope so, or you’ll probably be in for a whole flock of thirteen-year-old girls hounding you around the block.”

“Quite the visual,” you added.

“It’s not _all_ her friends, though, right?” Steve asked. “Just some?”

“Yes, don’t worry,” said Natasha. “Your place isn’t going to be flooded with young, adolescent girls drooling all over you. You probably get enough of that at school.”

“Oh, please, don’t inflate his ego like that,” Wanda said, smiling.

“Gee, good to know I can always count on you two to knock me off that pedestal I’m so famous for being on,” Steve said as he made his way over with his empty glass, stopping near you.

“Just keeping you humble.” Natasha shrugged.

“All right, you guys can go now,” he said, hand on his hip as he leaned against the counter behind you.

“You’re lucky you’re our Alpha or else we’d be an even bigger pain in your ass,” Natasha said.

“Too late.”

“Someone’s testy.” She turned to you. “It’s a good thing you’re here. Maybe you’ll be able to ease him up a bit, make him relax for once.”

“Goodnight, Natasha. Goodnight, Wanda.”

“All right, we’re going. No need to show us out.”

With a couple of parting hugs, the two left.

Small smile on your lips, you turned to Steve to find him already watching you, and you suddenly became aware of his close proximity.

“Sorry about that. Bet you’re glad you’re not part of my pack, huh?”

“What? No, it’s always good to see them.”

“Try saying that when you only live an elevator ride away.”

You chuckled, the soft sound coming out far too intimate in the quiet of the kitchen. For a hot second, his eyes slid down to your lips before they flew back up like it never happened.

His throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed and he stood up straight. “It’s probably been a long day for you. You probably want to relax a little. I know you haven’t even unpacked yet.”

“It’s okay. Like I said, I don’t mind seeing the others.”

“You’ll see the others tomorrow, too. I hope you don’t mind. I completely forgot I promised Clint about the party.”

“Really, I don’t mind. How bad could a party full of thirteen-year-old girls be? And supervised, I’m assuming?”

“You underestimate the power of thirteen-year-old girls.”

You giggled, sending that strange, soft look on his face to appear again.

“And thankfully not completely full,” he added eventually. “A bunch of us boring adults will be there, too.”

“Watch out for the spiked punch.”

“I have a feeling I might be needing it after tomorrow.”

While you laughed again, you were aware that you’d never laughed so much around him, let alone because of him.

An oddly companionable silence flittered through the air as the two of you stood there, doing nothing but taking in the other’s presence.

“Well, uh, I’m going to hang around here a bit, clean up some.” Wetting his lips, he moved away, his movements smooth and languid.

“Okay.” You moved as well, a part of you disappointed that the spell had been partially broken. “I’ll just go ahead and unpack, settle in.”

“And if you’re not tired and you want—if you want—I’ll probably be watching a movie or something. Maybe even something as crazy as a documentary. King of fun, remember?” He nodded toward the living room.

You shrugged. “Sounds plenty fun to me. Everyone else is just a loser.”

The little dimple in his cheek appeared again when he laughed quietly, even more noticeable in the soft lighting. You spun on your heel and headed for your room where you proceeded to unpack. It was almost comical how sparsely your personal belongings filled the dresser and closets.

You had just closed the last drawer when a soft knock came at the door. When you swung it open, Steve was on the other side holding up a burnished brass key.

“The spare key to the elevator,” he said, fingers brushing yours as he handed it over.

“Oh. You’re sure?”

“Unless you prefer being a kept woman. I wouldn’t say no.”

You leveled him with a mock glare. “Thank you. I’ll keep it safe.”

“See that you do.”

Later, you tried your hardest to combat sleep as the documentary on interstellar travel played on the giant screen in front of you. Earlier in the night, you’d been hyperaware of how Steve sat next to you—every shift of his leg, every change in the rhythm of his breathing. But with the glow of the screen and the reassuring presence of Steve’s sturdy frame so near, you were lulled into a sense of security. You were sleepy, and your wolf was content.

You were only dimly aware of it when a strong pair of arms scooped you up and carried you through the apartment. You thought you were dreaming when that same pair of arms set you down gently on the bed and pulled the covers over you. You were having the best dream when you turned over sleepily and inadvertently knocked your hand into a warm, larger hand and it didn’t pull away when you instinctively caught it with yours.

You were still adrift when the strong fingers of that hand wrapped tenderly around yours for a steadfast moment before slipping away from your grasp, leaving you aching and bereft, and yearning deeply for something you couldn’t name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm a party, you say? I wonder who could be showing up then??


	8. New Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please accept this virtual cookie for the sporadic updates. 🍪 Life and severe writer's block are to blame.

Your other senses came alive before your eyesight did.

The sheets were cool and foreign against your skin, the air somehow different, and you were momentarily disoriented. When your eyes finally fluttered open, it was to the spacious guest room bathed in veiled sunlight.

You had only a vague recollection of Steve carrying you to bed. In the moment, you’d thought it was a dream of some kind.

Your skin grew hot at the thought of him carrying you in his arms as you dipped in and out of consciousness.

You dug yourself into the sheets in mortification, willing a portal to open up and swallow you whole.

You didn’t want to make him feel obligated to do anything for you. You just wanted to fade into the background and be invisible. Why couldn’t he have just woken you up so you could sleepily make the trek to the room yourself?

After your failed attempts at transporting yourself to another dimension, you resigned yourself to emerging from bed and pulled back the curtains that Steve must’ve drawn the night before. It was mid-morning and the city was well alive.

After removing the bandage from your forehead, changing into fresh clothes, and going about your usual morning routine, you headed to the kitchen where you found a note from Steve on the counter.

_Out for a run then running some errands. Food is in the microwave if you’re hungry. Feel free to help yourself to anything else._

_Steve_

That was thoughtful of him. You’d already resolved on getting your own groceries instead of using up his supply, and you didn’t expect him to keep cooking for you.

After eating the plate of breakfast, you stepped out to the small terrace right off of the breakfast room. You’d considered going out for a stroll but decided against it. You didn’t want to be gone when Steve got back, and you didn’t even know when the party was supposed to start. You were restless and aimless all by yourself in that strange, vast, empty apartment.

Music played as you lounged on a cushioned patio chair and occupied yourself with your laptop and some light reading, a glass of raspberry iced tea by your side. You hoped the humidity didn’t get to you too soon.

You were still reading when the terrace door opened and Steve appeared in the doorway in his athletic wear, the fabric clinging to his muscles.

“You look right at home,” he said conversationally.

“Well, your place is very…nice. Although I got to admit, I’m trying very hard not to think about the fact that just over these walls is a guaranteed plunge straight to my death.”

His lips tipped up in a relaxed smile. “Afraid of heights?”

“I get a little queasy just thinking about it. I feel like I’m going to fall just by taking a peek down at the street. Like I’m going to just tip right over.” You shuddered involuntarily.

“I think you’ll be just fine,” he said, voice deep and nonchalant.

“Well, how do you know that?”

“’Cause I’ll be there to catch you if you do.” He gestured toward the book. “What are you reading?”

“Oh, um, it’s just a book I’ve been meaning to start for the longest time. How was your run?”

“Good. Hot. Ridiculous how hot it still is. Did you see the food I left for you?”

“Yeah, thanks. It was good.”

“You just saying that so you won’t hurt my feelings?” He was smirking when you turned to look at him. He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, it’s all right, I can take it.”

“It was edible. How about that?”

He put a hand to his heart. “Ouch.”

You had the strangest compulsion to suppress your grin, as if handing your smiles over all too easily was a dangerous move. Something he could use to lord over you in the future. The usual tension was less noticeable at present, but it didn’t mean you were ready to be best pals.

You met Clint’s mate, Laura, and Lila and Cooper sometime later when they came over to decorate. Lila was a nice girl and didn’t seem particularly fussy about the details of the party, declaring all she wanted was to hang out with her friends. Similarly, her brother Cooper didn’t seem too put off by the fact that he had to spend the day with his siblings and a bunch of adults, some of whom he wouldn’t even know.

“Her friend Roni is going to be at the party, and let’s just say Coop’s especially prone to blushing when she’s around,” Laura said after pulling you aside from where she hung up a banner. “I think he’ll live.”

Clint and his youngest son, Nate, showed up soon after with the cake and supplies for the ice cream buffet. The party got underway when Lila’s guests showed up, totaling up to five friends in all. Some of the parents were present as well, and you suspected none of them were shifters and had no clue that most everyone else there would be.

The rest of the pack appeared later and you got to catch up with them, notably Sam and Bucky, both of whom you hadn’t seen since your arrival.

Lila and her friends stuck mostly to the living room where they watched movies and played video games, pigged out on ice cream, and filled the space with loud and excited chatter. Everyone else was in plain sight but across the room in the kitchen or at the dining table.

You were chatting with Natasha, Sam, and Bucky when the elevator buzzed and Natasha let the next guest in.

She was willowy with silky straight honey blonde hair that fell just below her shoulders and kind brown eyes. She greeted everyone with a smile and quick hello before moving on to Steve, gathering him in her arms for a hug that spoke of more than friendship in your view.

You watched as he hugged her back without hesitation and gave her that endearing smile that he never seemed to be able to give you.

“That’s Sharon Carter,” Natasha murmured next to you. “They teach at the same school. She’s a shifter, too.”

“A shifter at the same school as him. What are the chances?”

You told yourself you felt nothing as you watched them pull apart and grace each other with blindingly perfect smiles. It was no big deal that they spent most of their time talking to each other. It shouldn’t have mattered at all that Steve had barely glanced your way for the entirety of the party thus far.

Brief introductions were made and you were both perfectly polite, and all the while you were unable to eject the notion from your head that maybe this woman was the woman Steve’s wolf would choose in the end. The woman in front of you could very well be the one that unimaginable force of devotion and something stronger than love was directed toward.

Your own wolf was conspicuously silent throughout the whole thing.

As the party continued, you chatted with folks here and there and put on a smile, though you were acutely aware of how Steve was somewhere behind you engaged in conversation with Sharon. You heard it clear as day when she found amusement in something he said, her smooth peals of laughter ringing through the air.

You hated that she could talk so easily to him, that she made him laugh.

You ignored the sensation that felt like someone had taken a firm grasp of your chest and squeezed.

In the middle of one of Sam’s stories, the elevator buzzed again and Natasha broke away to let the newcomer in. You were so caught up in Sam’s storytelling that you didn’t notice when she came back and who it was with.

“I assume no introductions are in order?” she said, but the words had no sooner left her mouth than your eyes were locked with those of the Alpha Stephen Strange.

He stood just behind her with hands clasped behind his back. There was a mild but discernible stiffness to his posture, as though either unaccustomed to socializing or averse to it, or both. His thick dark hair was perfectly coiffed, one lock curling over his forehead, and there was a shrewdness behind his blue cat-like eyes, as well as something else you were unable to pinpoint. His gaze didn’t stray from yours.

The others greeted him before Clint approached with a pat to his arm.

“Strange, glad you could make it, man. Didn’t know if you would.”

Strange glanced at the group of girls talking excitedly amongst themselves across the room. “Yes, clearly my presence has been sorely missed.”

Clint chuckled and Laura suddenly appeared before pulling Strange in for a hug, which seemed to take him by small surprise before he accepted it.

“It’s so good to see you, Stephen. We were unsure if you were going to make it.”

“Yes, well, I was just about to tell Barton that it occurred to me that I’d be remiss to miss such an important milestone.”

“Which Barton? There’s a few of us in here.” She snorted at her own joke and glanced down at the wrapped present in his hand. “And you brought a gift. How thoughtful. Here, I’ll just take it right over here for you.”

He handed her the gift and she crossed to the living room to place it with the rest of the presents.

“And Steve’s right over here. Yo, Steve.” Clint waved him over.

You turned to find Steve’s attention already on the group, an affected casualness to his demeanor. He approached the group, coming to a stop at your side, though not close enough to be considered right next to you. His eyes never left Strange.

It took him some effort to paste on a shadow of a polite smile. He held out a hand. “Dr. Strange. Glad you could make it.”

Strange took his hand, and you got the odd sense that the two men were sizing each other up.

“Steve. An impressive place you’ve got here.” Strange glanced around the apartment.

“Thank you. It suits my needs pretty well.”

“I’d say so. Seems we’re both men who require a certain…standard of living, aren’t we?”

“Well, I suppose you could say that. Although some things in life are more important to me than others. I don’t indulge in luxury for the sake of it.”

In return, Strange offered him a tight smile that barely brushed his cheeks.

You could feel the tension radiating from both men, but it was the underlying aggression from Steve that hit you the most.

It wasn’t normal aggression coming at you in waves. It was Alpha-level aggression.

It was like something raw inside of him was just barely leashed, forced to stay down for decorum’s sake. You were in awe of the sheer force of it.

The group dispersed. Before Strange moved away to greet the others, his eyes met yours once more. There was something deliberate behind them. Intent.

A low, rumbling growl came from next to you right before there was a flash of movement.

Steve had launched himself forward, standing with his back to you so that he mostly blocked you from Strange’s view. But just before he moved, you caught a glimpse of the look on his face, and it was a look you’d never seen him wear before.

It was dangerous. Deadly. Territorial.

Did he think Strange meant to harm you?

Overcome with the incredible compulsion to touch Steve and somehow diffuse the situation, you reached out and laid a hand on his arm.

At the unexpected touch, he seemed to tense up even more. But then the tautness of his shoulders eased and his clenched fists loosened up, and the tension infusing his body left him bit by bit. You watched in awe as he steadily unraveled beneath your touch. He slowly twisted his neck to look at you.

His chest was still heaving slightly from the force of his breaths and his expression was still marked with considerable tension. In his eyes was a potent mix of leftover aggression and underlying violence, but also wonder. And if you didn’t know better, you’d say it was almost something like awe on his end, too.

Your gaze couldn’t seem to unlock with his. It did so only when there was movement from the corner of your eye and you broke away from Steve’s stare to find Strange slowly backing away, hands clasped behind his back as he looked on with dry amusement.

Steve faced forward again to follow your gaze and you swore you felt it through his skin when he directed a threatening growl at Strange once more. The sound was pitched low enough that it was possible others hadn’t heard it, but you glanced around anyway. It seemed everyone was either oblivious to what was happening or was choosing to ignore it.

Everyone other than Sharon, who’d stood quietly off to the side the whole time and watched the whole thing play out. You couldn’t tell from her expression what she thought of it all.

“Steve,” you said softly, applying light pressure to his arm. You became aware that your breaths were also coming out harder than usual.

Steve tracked Strange’s retreat with a watchful gaze. It was only when the other man approached another group that he turned to face you. Your hand fell from his arm.

“What was that?” you said in hushed tones, demanding an answer with your eyes.

His own were still raging with a sort of conflict you found perplexing. He met your gaze for a moment before looking away as though ashamed or, more likely, embarrassed at the loss of control. “It was nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

You wanted to scream. It was just like when he’d refused to tell you why he’d come after Tony in a snarling rage before you left for the city.

“It was nothing? You really thought I’d buy that? Or do you really think I’m too stupid to understand?”

His eyes flew back to yours in an instant, a heavy frown marring his face.

“Look, if it had absolutely nothing to do with me and I’m just being egotistical, then fine. But people don’t just jump in front of other people and growl at the other person for no reason. Do you think he wants to hurt me or something?”

His expression leveled out, going from twisted up to deceptively neutral in seconds. “Hurt you.” His voice came out flat, seemingly devoid of emotion.

“Yes. Do you think he wants to hurt me and you were just trying to—I don’t know, protect me? You know, taking your babysitting duties very seriously?”

He stepped forward, forcing you to take a step back. You’d already been close together to keep the conversation between yourselves, but now he was crowding you, further in your space.

“Babysitting.” Again, his voice was flat.

“That’s what this basically is. It’s okay.”

He stepped closer, forcing your back into the countertop edge. “What’s okay?”

You pressed a hand to his torso, too aware that was the first time you’d touched him there. He didn’t budge. “Strange. Talking to Strange. It’s okay. He was nice enough to help me with Hodge the night of the Harvest Moon.”

“If you think he did that purely out of the goodness of his heart, you’re wrong.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s an Alpha.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“You’re an Omega.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“An unmated Omega.”

“So you think he’s out to catch my heart?” you said wryly.

He looked off to the side and snorted at the delicate expression.

“Yes, I know,” you swiftly continued.

His gaze snapped back to yours, pinning you in place with a sharp look.

“Or at least I know of the possibility. Will you please back up? People are going to stare.” With another push, he backed off, though there was little wiggle room. His presence still surrounded you, smothered you.

“What do you mean you know of the possibility?” he asked.

“I mean I know he might be…interested. Please—” You glanced around for an escape. The last thing you wanted to do was talk to Steve about your love life.

“And you’re okay with that?”

The edge of repressed violence in his tone caught your attention. “Yes. I might be. I barely know the guy, but if it turns out he’s interested, I’m not going to say no.”

“You like him?” His eyes turned black, his voice so deep it rattled your bones.

“If you’re asking me if I find him attractive, then yeah. Why are you so interested? Do you know something about him I don’t?”

The muscles in his jaw ticked but he made no move to speak. He just looked at you, eerily reminiscent of a lion stalking its prey.

Or a wolf.

Then someone called your name and Steve’s from the living room.

“It’s time for cake!” Sam waved you over, eyeing how close the two of you were. He wasn’t the only one.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, you slipped out from your wedged position, your fronts brushing as you escaped.

Later you’d realize you’d yet to address the fact that you’d seemingly used your dawning Omega abilities on him, but in the moment, you were simply flooded with gratitude at Sam’s timing.

After blowing out the candles, Lila passed around slices of cake and opened the presents. People cheered, chatted, ate. All the while, you pretended not to notice the blond Alpha next to Sharon doing his best not to visibly glower.

Afterward, you slipped away and retreated to your room where you called Tony.

“Hey, what’s up, somethin’ happen?” he answered.

“Hey, Tony. No, I was just—I was calling to see if you’d made any headway on the whole ordeal with the attacks and everything. I know it’s only been a day, but…”

“Yeah, no. Nothing major on that front. I’d tell you if there were. We’ve gotten in touch with some other packs in the area, but of course no one’s going to admit to it if they had anything to do with it.”

“Oh. So it really could be anyone.”

“Seemed that way from the start, unfortunately. But I’ll tell you something, if this really does concern only us shifters, then the person who hit you with that car had to have known it wasn’t going to do any lasting damage.”

“So it was a warning? For what?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I’m tearin’ my hair out trying to get to the bottom of this thing.”

You sat at the edge of the bed and buried your face in your hands. “Sorry about all of this.”

“Hold up, am I hearing this right? Are you telling me you’re actually trying to apologize for this mess? If so, I don’t want to hear it. You did nothing. You’re pack and we’re going to look out for you. You’d do the same thing for us.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Other than staying where you are, not really.”

“So…you have no idea how long I might have to stay here?”

“What, something happen?”

“No, nothing happened. It’s just…” _The Alpha who occupies this penthouse is so intense and I don’t know if I’m equipped to handle it._ “A little homesickness, I guess.”

“Well, you do know how to flatter us. Just sit tight and you’ll be back before you know it. Steve treatin’ you right? Not being a total grade A-for-Alpha asshole? And if anyone knows about that type, it’s me. Pepper will attest to that.”

You snorted. “He’s…fine. He’s been a pretty considerate host.”

“Glad to hear it. So how was your first night at la casa Rogers?”

“Good. His place is really nice. Like, _really_ nice.”

“Yep, I’ve been.”

“We’re actually in the middle of a party right now. It’s Lila’s birthday and there’s a bunch of people over.”

“Oh? Tell her I say happy birthday. How old’s the little munchkin now?”

“Thirteen. So, not so much a little munchkin anymore.”

“Huh. They grow up so fast, don’t they?”

“Yup. How’s everything over there?”

“All things considered, pretty much the same as usual. Bruce has a date Wednesday night with someone other than his test tubes so there’s something noteworthy and strange for you.”

“Oh, really? Who—”

A knock came at the door.

“Oh, Tony, I got to go. Someone’s at the door.”

“No problem, and hey, thanks for checking in. Say hi to the concrete jungle for me, will you? Sometimes I find myself itching to get back out there.”

You chuckled. “I will. Say hi to everyone for me.”

“Will do.”

You said your goodbyes and hung up. When you opened the door, it was to Natasha who stood patiently waiting on the other side.

“So you’re not lost, after all,” she said.

“Natasha. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” You pulled her into the room and shut the door.

“About what?”

You fidgeted on your feet before meeting her gaze. “Stephen Strange.”

A smirk hinted at her lips. “I was just coming by to tell you he’s looking for you.”

“He is?”

“Guess the Harvest Moon wasn’t a one-time thing. He’s certainly interested in getting to know you.”

“What do you know about him?”

“What do you want to know?”

“How does he know the pack?”

“Through association. It’s mostly the Bartons he knows. He performed surgery on Lila when she was younger before Clint joined the pack. Then he found out Strange was also a shifter and they’ve stayed in touch since.”

“Do he and Steve have some sort of history?”

“History? Other than knowing each other by virtue of being Alphas in the same city, no, not that I know of. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you know what happened in the kitchen earlier…?”

“Yes, we noticed.”

“And no one did anything about it?”

“Trust me, we’ve learned through experience that coming between two Alphas is asking for trouble. We know when to step in and when not to.” She looked you over with a touch of amusement. “Besides, you’re an Omega. You didn’t seem to have any trouble calming him down earlier.”

You narrowed your gaze. “That only applies if the pair is mated.”

“Or on their way.”

“I don’t think I appreciate you implying things of such a nature, Natasha Romanoff.”

She rolled her eyes. “Listen, I’m simply here as an impartial third party. It’s sort of second nature at this point with me being pack diplomat and all.”

“Is it usually the job of an impartial third party to come tell me when an Alpha is interested and looking for me?”

Her smirk grew wider. “Okay, so you got me. I’m also here as something of a friend who likes to believe in a just world every now and then and who’d like to see love conquer all once in a while. Sue me.”

You took her by the arms and herded her toward the door. “I always knew you were a hopeless romantic deep down. I hardly think love is in the air right now.”

“Hey. What are you doing? You’re the one who pulled me in.”

“It ain’t always a just world. And I’m coming out, too. So the thing between Steve and…Strange had nothing to do with any kind of beef they might have?”

It would’ve been too odd to refer to them as Steve and Stephen, given the obvious similarities of the names. It made no sense considering how many people in the world had the same names and were often referred to as such in the same sentence, but this particular circumstance was too uncanny for you.

“Not that I’m aware of,” she said as you crossed the hallway.

You landed in the kitchen where Strange stood by himself observing the party with all the patience in the world. He turned when he noticed your approach and stepped forward.

“So she’s emerged from hiding, after all. I was hoping you’d turn up again.”

You gave a nervous chuckle and Natasha retreated, leaving the two of you alone. You threw a quick glance at the other end of the room and saw Steve was presently occupied. With Sharon, of course.

In the blink of an eye, you came to the realization that instead of being absent, your wolf was indeed present. Instead of simple outright indignation, there were other emotions mixed in that bag of discontent.

At the sight of Steve and Sharon together, there was sadness. There was…resignation.

“Sorry, I just disappeared to take a quick breather,” you said.

“Can’t say I blame you. Social gatherings where small talk is expected aren’t exactly my strong suit, I admit.” Strange’s deep, rumbling voice was incredibly pleasing to the ear.

“So most of them, then.” You chuckled. “You must be really close with the Bartons to have come, then.”

He dipped his head. “I’ll also admit that I may have come here today with ulterior motives.”

“Oh?”

“I heard you would be here today. Ever since our first meeting at the Harvest Moon festival, I’ve found you occupying my thoughts far more than anyone should have any right to.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

He gave a closed-lip smile that showcased his feline eyes. “Very much the contrary. I’d like to take you out sometime. Get to know you better. That is, if you wish to do so.”

Your heart raced. Even as you were about to accept, you still had the annoying urge to look back at where Steve was engaged in conversation with Sharon. You quickly stifled it.

You refocused your attention on Strange and gifted him with a bright smile. “I’d love to.”

As he smiled, his eyes glimmered with some promise of all sorts of pleasures to be had up ahead. Many pleasures.

After exchanging phone numbers, you chatted a bit until his pager went off.

“I’m needed in the O.R.,” he said, looking down at the pager. “I’m afraid I have to cut our second meeting short.”

“Not at all. The patient comes first.”

He took your hand in his. “It was the utmost pleasure seeing you today. I only regret that our time together was so short.” He planted a soft kiss to the back of your hand. “Until we meet again.”

You didn’t even have your wits about you to watch him go. When you finally turned around, you put a hand to your cheek and willed your face to cool down, almost oblivious to the rest of the world.

Almost.

At that moment, you looked up and caught sight of Steve far across the room.

He wasn’t talking to Sharon anymore.

He was looking right at you, and there was no doubt in your mind that he’d seen it all.


	9. All Mixed Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should definitely be sleeping since I have to be up early for the holiday but ya know, #YOLO
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the US!

The day of your date, you hit the tower gym for a quick workout. The hope was to channel some of the nervous energy pervading your system into something productive.

The sinking feeling in your stomach was, you’d admit only to yourself, born of some irrational yet unshakeable sense of doom, like you were about to set sail on the high seas in the middle of a raging storm, embarking on a journey doomed of your own making.

It was easier to pretend such a feeling didn’t exist. Far easier when the burning in your calves as you ran the treadmill was a simpler sensation on which to focus.

At last you stepped off, legs feeling like jelly. With a measly amount of water left in your bottle, you threw back what was left and headed for the fountain to fill it back up. You were crossing the corridor when you passed the private boxing room and spied movement out of the corner of your eye.

Steve was in there alone, pounding away at the punching bags with his back to you. It was impossible not to notice the figure he cut, from the massive breadth of his shoulders to the tapered waist and slim hips, down to the obvious outline of his firm backside.

Raw aggression poured from him in waves, hitting you so strongly from across the room it was all you could do not to step back from the force of it. He pounded away like a madman, his grunts fierce and his punches housing a current of violence far over the required amount of a typical boxing session.

He hadn’t displayed such visible signs that something was bothering him when he arrived home after a day at school. You’d been scowling away at the yarn out on the terrace as you made yet another attempt at a pair of hand warmers for winter when you felt the disconcerting sensation of eyes on you. Twisting around, you met Steve’s eyes as he stood on the other side of the French doors, a good distance away in the kitchen. His expression was impossible to read.

You’d waved tentatively. He’d merely tipped his chin up in response before disappearing.

You’d tried to make yourself scarce in the days following the party. You didn’t want to draw any more ire from him or give him the opportunity to bring up your date with Strange. He always left for work before you woke up and you whiled the subsequent hours away with leisurely activities such as films, reading, or the internet, or light housekeeping. You ventured into the city often, always with sunglasses and a hat or hood on. You were pretty confident, perhaps foolishly, that if someone was after you, it would be nigh impossible to find you. Still, you took the extra precaution of remaining in public places with a relatively high volume of traffic, which wasn’t hard to do in New York City.

Steve would come home and you’d see him for a bit wherein he’d ask about your day and if you needed anything before locking himself up in his office and emerging to eat. Meanwhile, you’d occupy yourself with your own activities.

It was a routine that worked well enough for you. Drama was something you very much wanted to steer clear of.

But as you watched the powerful muscles of his arms and back rippling with every mean swing, the sweat pooling at the back of his shirt, you wondered if by accepting Strange’s invitation you’d just invited the very opposite of what you wanted to take place.

You realized you’d been staring only when he moved to undo the hand wraps, chest heaving and sweat glistening on his forehead. Judging by the look on his face, his energy was far from spent.

It was a miracle he didn’t notice you, especially with the way his profile was visible. Whatever pent-up aggression coursed through him, it consumed enough of his attention that you were able to slip away undetected and head back for the penthouse, water forgotten.

  


* * *

  


The restaurant was indubitably upscale, and you felt like an utter fraud.

Strange looked dashing sitting across the candlelit table in his suit and your cocktail dress was neat and your makeup painstakingly applied, but you couldn’t swallow back the feeling that you were playing pretend.

Strange was competent and intelligent and, for all intents and purposes, a worthy contender for a mate. And he was intense in a way different from Steve. Steve’s intensity thrilled your wolf, sent a frisson of excitement shooting up your spine. It made her toes curl and your heart race, however unwillingly on your end.

Maybe it was for the best. You could never handle an Alpha like Steve, not with the way he seemed determined to hide his true thoughts and feelings. You already did enough of that for the both of you.

Strange was safer. Rational. If your wolf really howled in need that bad for a strong Alpha to claim you, maybe Strange could be that Alpha.

But even at the mere thought, something deep within you was repulsed. You were chagrined to find you didn’t know whether it was your wolf or your human that thought so.

“So based on what you’ve told me, it seems you might be in the city for a while,” Strange said when your mind drifted a little too long. His fingers were laced together and he was leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on the table.

You dabbed the corner of your mouth with your napkin. “Yeah. I’ll admit, it feels good to be back after being away for a while, but under the present circumstances…”

“It doesn’t exactly make for a relaxing vacation. Understandable,” he said, sitting up straight and adjusting the napkin on his lap. His eyes met yours, dark and intent under the dim lighting. “Perhaps it’d assuage your fears by just a bit if I were to assure you that nothing will happen to you. Not on my watch.” The corner of his mouth ticked in a confident, if not arrogant, smirk you’d quickly grown accustomed to from him.

You gave a small chuckle to counteract the intensity with which he looked at you, though it came out without humor. You were really starting to resent the feeling that you were a small child in need of protection by the bigger, better Alphas.

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” you said, and took a much needed sip of your wine. His eyes remained on you over the rim of his own glass.

“So,” you started, intent on changing the subject, “you’re a neurosurgeon. That’s got to be something. Did you always want to be one?”

“Perhaps not always. Growing up, however, I quickly found where my strengths were best suited and found most pragmatism in pursuing that.”

“Well, I could never be a surgeon.”

“You give yourself too little credit.”

“No, it’s true. Trust me, the world is far better off without little ol’ me in the operating room.”

“Well, I, for one, certainly wouldn’t mind having you for a doctor.” He gave that sly smile again and the heat in your cheeks made a hasty comeback.

You cleared your throat, the wine loosening your inhibitions. “Do you ever think about what another you might be doing in a parallel universe? If you’d decided to go in a different direction, or were nurtured differently, what you’d be interested in? Do you think it’s even a matter of nature versus nurture? Or do you think we’re predisposed to certain interests regardless of what we’re exposed to? Oh, God, I’m rambling, aren’t I? I’m rambling. Sorry. Is it just me or is it kind of hot in here?”

He chuckled. “Don’t tell anyone, but this may be the rare occasion where I happen to find a case of the rambles charming. Unbelievably so, as a matter of fact.”

You supplied him with a falsely chiding look. “You’re just being nice. But thank you.” You glanced around, wondering if anyone else noticed the heat.

“Oh, on the contrary. The truth is many people will tell you it’s not exactly a habit of mine to ‘be nice’ for the sake of it. Have I scared you away yet?”

“Well, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure if anyone is ever truly nice purely for the sake of it. Is being altruistic even inherently selfless if it makes us feel any sort of reward?”

“That’s the million dollar question. Maybe we don’t do it specifically for the reward and it’s just a byproduct of our actions.”

“But then you would’ve had to take that action with some other motivation, however selfless, and even selfless motivations often stem from some sort of egocentric desire.”

“Aren’t we all bound to be egocentric if we’re human? It’s what we do. Even if organized societies did come about through mass cooperation.”

“But then again, that mass cooperation could’ve come about because of that collective instinct for self-preservation for themselves and their kin, which you could argue is inherently self-interested.”

“And wouldn’t that by definition make all species on the planet self-serving if what drives us most is survival?”

“Yes, but I didn’t say they weren’t.”

“Touché. Well, this has been oddly comforting in its cynicism.”

“Guess it depends on the day.”

“Or on how one feels about the truth of humanity.”

You laughed. “Okay, let’s stop. I have no idea what I’m even saying anymore and we’re about to go down a rabbit hole I’m ninety-nine percent sure I don’t have the wits to go down.”

He laughed.

“So you were asking about me in a parallel universe,” he continued smoothly when you both recovered. “The answer is yes. I think I would be doing something different. Be someone different. Maybe a drifter. A traveler, always on the move.”

“A free spirit.”

“Mm. Dabbling in all aspects of life unknown to the vast population. The ones hidden just beyond the veil. Waiting to be uncovered, the truth acknowledged.” At your expression he added, “Do I surprise you?”

“No. I mean yes. I mean, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to put anyone in a box—really, I don’t—but it’s just…”

“Not what you expected from me. I assure you, it’s all right. I do take some pleasure in surprising people from time to time.”

You laughed, and the edge of softness glinting in his eyes endeared you to him.

_Yes_, you tried your hardest to tell yourself, _he could be that Alpha_.

  


* * *

  


The journey back to Steve’s left you with a tightness you couldn’t pinpoint, like your insides were tethered around a rope in the midst of a game of tug-o-war.

Strange accompanied you to the elevator, and you fumbled internally for what to say.

“Thank you for dinner. It was lovely,” you eventually settled on.

“Made all the richer by the company at hand. For me, that is. Unfortunately, I can’t speak for you.” He gave a quick roguish smile. “I’d like to see you again.”

“I’d like that as well,” you said, even while that rope inside you gave a hard tug.

“Then we’ll see each other again.”

You were in the midst of nodding when he leaned in with a fluid movement and his lips pressed against your cheek, lingering as he spoke next. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

He pulled away just as the elevator opened. In a mild daze, you stepped in and gave him a parting smile as the doors closed, all the while unable to shake that sinking feeling that you’d just done something horribly wrong.

The heat was just as bad in the elevator as it was in the restaurant. You put a hand to the nape of your neck to ease the discomfort.

All was quiet when you entered the foyer. No lights were on except for the dim glow on your left, like a lamp had been left on. The cityscape afforded enough light for you to make a quick stop in the kitchen.

Your heels clicked with every step. You assumed Steve was all the way across the apartment in his room, having already retired for the night.

Your assumptions were quickly dashed.

The lamp had indeed been left on, but instead of an empty room, you were greeted by the sight of Steve lounging on the couch. He was leaned back with feet on the coffee table, drink in one hand and the other at his lips, but underneath the relaxed pose you sensed a deep despondency that did something peculiar to your chest. You didn’t like the look on him at all.

“Steve?”

His eyes flickered up to meet yours across the distance.

“What are you doing? Did something happen?”

His brows raised in a flash of movement, the gesture coming off as rueful. He leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on his knees. “No. No, nothing happened.”

“Is everything okay?” you asked with hesitation.

He looked down at his drink, swirling the liquid around in the glass with a frown. “It’s nothing to worry about. I just wanted some quiet time, I guess.”

It certainly was that. The television wasn’t on. Music wasn’t playing. He’d been sitting in silence.

“You look nice.”

At the unexpected compliment, your heart stuttered.

“Really nice,” he said. “You look beautiful.”

“Uh—thank you.” You had no idea what to do with yourself, standing across the distance from him while he wore that strange look on his face. “I was just grabbing something to drink real quick.”

With eyebrows raised in question, he raised his glass subtly.

“Not that kind of drink,” you said with a placating smile and turned for the fridge.

“How was your date?”

“Good. It was really nice. He’s very smart and sweet and…charming.” It was easier to answer with your back to him, but even then, the benign answers falling from your lips made that rope inside you wrench tighter.

He let out a humorless chuckle. “Didn’t think I’d ever hear Strange be described as charming.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. I know you don’t know him very well, but he can be charming when he wants to be…not unlike someone else I know.” You gave him a knowing look and he accepted it graciously.

“Point taken. So you had a nice time with him?”

You poured your drink without looking at him, trying to quell the sudden tremor in your hand. It took a moment before you could answer. “Yes. I did.”

His reply came a moment too late also. “I’m glad.”

Your gaze flickered up to find him studying his drink, deep frown still marring his face. Your stomach twisted. Any appetite for that drink had suddenly gone.

“There’s an art show fundraiser tomorrow at the school,” he said. “We hold it every semester. The students display their art for potential buyers and all proceeds go toward maintaining the art department.”

“Oh. That sounds nice.” You took a careful sip of your drink. You had to occupy yourself with something.

“One of the parents dropped out last minute so now we’re a volunteer short. Would you be interested in filling in? It’s not too much to do, just helping out with handling the cash and all that.”

“Oh, um…you sure it’d even be okay? I have no affiliation with the school.”

“It’s not that big of a deal, really. I can vouch for you. It won’t be a problem. Many friends and family of faculty have helped out before.”

“Oh. Well, if they really need me and you’re sure…”

“It’s not up to me. Just thought I’d offer. No pressure.”

“Tomorrow, you said?”

He nodded once.

“That should be fine, then. Where’s your school? I know it’s in Brooklyn, but what’s the address so I know where to go?”

“Don’t worry about it. You can ride with me. The fundraiser’s not until five so I’ll swing by to pick you up.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that…”

“I know. I’ll be here to pick you up.”

The protests ready to spill from your lips steadily died. You nodded in acquiescence.

You were about to wash your glass in the sink when Steve said, “It’s okay, just leave it.”

“Oh, it’s okay, I can wash it.”

“Please, just leave it. Could you come here please?”

The undercurrent of suppressed urgency in his tone brought you to a halt. “Are you sure you’re okay, Steve?”

“Positive, just…I need this for myself. Just this once.”

Your brow twisted.

“Please.” He held out his hand in supplication.

You went to him without thought. The second your palm touched his, his hand wrapped around yours and he gently tugged you closer.

“Wha—Steve, are you drunk?” You were baffled, even more so when his other hand went to your waist and pulled you close so there was nary a hairsbreadth between you.

“Never,” he answered. “I can’t get drunk.”

“What do you—” You quickly stopped. It occurred to you then that it was entirely possible that whatever he’d had done to him in the ’40s might have altered his genes so that he was impervious to the effects of alcohol.

“Just an odd piece of trivia about me. Must be a mutation of some kind.” He attempted an easygoing smile and failed.

“Steve, what are we doing?” He was still holding you, seemingly with no intention of letting you go.

He wet his lips. In apprehension, you thought. It was disorienting to see him so out of sorts when you’d mostly known him to be in full possession of himself at all times.

“You promise you’re not drunk?” You tried to lighten the atmosphere with a tease, but your chuckle was weak even to your own ears.

“I just…” He searched for something in your expression, eyes burning. “Would you dance with me?”

“What?”

“I know it’s probably the last thing you want to do, but I need to ask. I need to…”

“Steve, are you sure you’re okay?”

He breathed out a rueful chuckle. “Lately, it seems I’ve been very much not okay. But could you—would you indulge me with this? Just this once?”

“Well, you’re sort of already holding me, so…”

“I know. I’m sorry. I lose control when I’m around you.”

You gulped. “It’s just…because we’re both unmated, right? It’s just your wolf calling to another wolf, or mine doing the same…it could happen with anyone, right? It’s completely natural. Purely biological.” The words came out horribly strained.

You had to rationalize it. You had to make it make sense, this bizarre turn of events. The only possible reason he could lose control around you and admit to it was because he somehow despised you and hated you even more for getting under his skin.

But the way his eyes were devouring your face told another story. Said that whatever it was he felt toward you, it could never be hate. That, in fact, it could only be the exact opposite.

“Steve, I…why are you doing this?”

He leaned in and you stopped breathing. He closed his eyes, forehead pressed to yours. It was unbearably hot all around you. So hot. But for the life of you, you couldn’t bring yourself to pull away.

“I can smell him,” he said.

“What?”

His jaw clenched. “On you. I can smell him on you.”

“Wh—you mean Stephen?”

He squeezed your waist with a fierce grip. “Did he kiss you?”

“Why does it matter? I—”

“Did he kiss you?” His grip grew tighter and his eyes were open. The vein in his forehead looked ready to burst.

“No—not on the lips. Oh my god, why am I even telling you this? Why do you even care?”

You meant to wrest yourself free, but with a firm grip on the back of your neck and fingers tangled in your hair, he brought his lips crashing down to yours.

It was a kiss of possession. A kiss meant to stake his claim. Even you couldn’t mistake that.

His mouth was hot and demanding. Taking and giving and wrenching everything from you in that one surreal moment made up of a million smaller moments where nothing in the universe existed but you, him, and the feel of his lips on yours.

It was never in your mind to pull away. The second his lips touched yours, something explosive ignited inside you, filling every cavity of your body with jolts of electricity from the roots of your hair to the tips of your toes. It was like nothing you’d ever experienced, the farthest cry from all your secret imaginings.

Your wolf, in addition, was wide awake and howling to the world.

_Finally_, she said.

When you finally broke apart, you were both fighting for each breath. His hand remained glued around your neck and if you arched forward just an inch, your lips could brush his again.

For an electrifying moment, you thought he was going to bring his mouth back down to yours.

“Steve?” You were in a haze, a state so touched by unfettered bliss that it was a wonder you’d lived at all before that moment.

“How do you do this to me?” He gazed at you with an odd mix of wonder and resentment. “How do you screw me up so badly? I lose every single ounce of control I might’ve had in me when it comes to you. You make me crazy.”

You had no idea how to respond. You’d been stunned into silence.

“I’m jealous of every man who’s ever looked your way or gotten to taste these lips. Even just the thought of you with another man makes me…” He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a small growl like he was hurting himself with the very thought of it. “I want to kill every man who’s ever made you laugh or smile.”

You shook your head. Your voice came out soft and dazed as though you were in a dream. “What are you saying? Why are you saying this, Steve?”

“Because I don’t think you understand exactly what it is my wolf wants from you. It wants to take you and toss you down on my bed so you can never get away. It wants to dominate you and force you to submit. To bite you and claim you and keep you forever.”

You couldn’t breathe. The hold he kept on you was the only thing preventing you from sinking to the floor.

His pupils were blown, his voice low and dangerous. “If you knew the things that go through my mind when I’m around you, you’d run. Far away.”

His words echoed in your head over and over, chilling you to the bone. Echoes and imaginings of what his wolf wanted to do to you permeated every pore in your body, consuming you with desperate, aching need. His wolf desired so much from you, it was astonishing…

His wolf…

…His wolf…

His wolf.

Suddenly, it clicked with painful clarity.

“No.” With more strength than you knew you possessed, you forced yourself to stumble back and out of his arms.

“No?” He watched you like you imagined he’d watch his prey, ready to pounce at the slightest promise of a chase.

“Your wolf. That’s all it is,” you said. “It’s just your wolf. You said it yourself. And I said it earlier, too.”

He stalked closer. You took a corresponding step back. “Said what?”

For every step he took forward, you took one back. You had to maintain some distance. Having him too close dizzied your senses and clouded your thinking.

“That it’s just your wolf. It’s just biology, just instinct because you’re an unmated Alpha and I’m an unmated Omega.”

He stopped.

“Nothing more than…hormones,” you finished.

He didn’t speak for what felt like an hour. He didn’t look at you, instead looking somewhere downward. You could see the gears in his head turning. He was troubled, vehemently debating something with himself.

He had to see you were right.

After an eternity, he looked up, right at you. You didn’t know what to make of what you saw looking back.

“You’re right.”

The two words brought you only a modicum of relief, the effect nothing compared to the profound, gut-wrenching ache that took root somewhere deep past your ribcage.

“It’s nothing more than biology,” he said, “and I’m sorry for trying to push otherwise. I was mistaken.”

It seemed to take him a concerted effort just to blink. You could feel the strain roiling violently beneath his skin in waves. Strain from holding himself back for whatever reason.

You swallowed down the lump in your throat with tremendous effort. “It was an honest mistake. Like I said, it could’ve happened with anyone.”

He didn’t reply for a long time, just searched your eyes earnestly with his. For what, you didn’t know.

Finally, he said, “It’s getting late. I have an early day tomorrow.”

_…What?_

“I should be heading to bed. I…” He wet his lips, stopped himself from saying something. “Goodnight.”

He moved past you, the clean scent of his aftershave swirling in the air. You, however, couldn’t focus on anything other than that delicate piece of rope somewhere inside you twisting into a ferocious knot that had little hope of being undone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe it's wrong considering the actual context of the scene (if it's wrong I don't wanna be right), but you know that part in Endgame where he's in group counseling and he does that thing with his face? You all know what I'm talking about. I may or may not like to fantasize that that little clip is what a jealous Steve might look like...mmhmm.


	10. Assumptions and Presumptions

Sam and Bucky’s apartment, while substantially smaller than Steve’s, was still nice, as you assumed most apartments in the building were. You were perched on the couch with Natasha, killing time before Steve was supposed to come by and pick you up for the fundraiser. Bucky flittered through the apartment doing whatever it was he was doing, while Sam threw him the stink eye with every article of clothing he managed to leave in his wake.

“Dude, seriously, pick up your clothes,” Sam said from the kitchen where he was blending up some protein shake or other. “I swear, if I have to touch another one of your dirty boxers laying around, I’m tossin’ ’em out the window.”

“Nobody said you had to touch ’em,” Bucky said as he backtracked and plucked a pair of well-worn socks from the floor before disappearing into his room.

Sam tossed you and Natasha a long-suffering look. “You see what I have to put up with on a daily basis? Dude’s never so much as laid eyes on an iron.”

“The clothes I wear don’t need an iron,” came Bucky’s response from the other room.

“Yeah, man, keep telling yourself that,” Sam threw back.

Natasha nudged your leg with her foot. “Hey. Guess what? Looks like you and me are having a sleepover tomorrow. Or the whole weekend, really.”

“What do you mean?”

“Vision’s coming over, which means he and Wanda will be, as she likes to say, shacking up for the weekend. I asked Steve if I could stay in one of his guest rooms. Since you’re here, I figured I’d have company while I wait it out.”

“Is it really that bad when Vision comes over?”

Sam barked out a laugh from his place at the counter and shook his head. “Oh…it’s bad.”

Natasha arched an eyebrow. “Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson. There’s no way I’m sticking around for that. And that’s when they’re not in heat.”

Heat. Just hearing the word made your skin burn brighter. Ever since the day before, you’d been having odd hot flashes at random hours of the day. At first, you’d attributed them to the emotionally charged situations you’d found yourself in, but after the flashes of heat started occurring when you were in the middle of totally innocuous things like taking walks and reading, you began to suspect it was something else. It wasn’t until approximately thirty minutes ago when you were in the midst of pulling on your jeans that a thought suddenly occurred to you, and it had your stomach dropping to the floor.

You couldn’t believe it hadn’t occurred to you before. But because it hadn’t yet happened, it was easy to dismiss as something distant and abstract, something that happened to other shifters but decidedly did not happen to you.

A half-formed question broaching the subject was ready to leave your lips when a text sounded from your phone. It was from Steve.

_Be there in ten._

Before you could reply, Bucky came sailing into the room.

“Hope you like the wind on your face,” he told you as he threw a duffel bag over his shoulder and gathered his things.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll be taking the bike with Steve later. I’m borrowing his car for the weekend. I got some things I got to take care of over in Jersey.” He took in your slightly agape expression, his lips curling up in amusement. “Ever ride one before? It’s all right if you’re nervous.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…” It was just that you were in no way prepared to sit behind Steve with your body flush to his, forced to hold on tight for your own sake. And yeah, you were pretty nervous about the bike itself.

“Don’t worry. He knows what he’s doing. You’re safe with him.” Bucky’s casual gaze was just short of keen.

Ten minutes later, you stepped outside alongside Bucky to be greeted by the sight of Steve straddling his bike at the curb, helmet in hand. The sight of him settled atop his bike with such calm confidence and effortless poise, which could only be the result of plenty of experience, had your stomach fluttering fiercely.

“Bucky tell you we’re taking the bike?” he asked, eyes settled on you as you approached.

“Yes.” You were distracted by the formidable two-wheeled contraption right before you, finding it much more daunting up close than you would’ve imagined.

Steve tossed Bucky the car keys. “Try not to cause any near accidents this time.”

“It’s their own damn fault for not knowing how to drive,” Bucky muttered. “Appreciate it, man. Be back Sunday.” With a small parting smile tossed your way, he turned back for the building where he’d find Steve’s car in the parking garage.

“If you want, we can take the subway,” Steve said once Bucky was gone. “Bucky only just told me he needed the car.”

“No, you’re already here anyway. We might as well.”

In response, he held out the helmet.

“So what do I do?” you asked nervously as you took the helmet.

“Hop on, hold on, and enjoy the ride. I’ll take care of the rest.”

You placed one foot on the foot peg and swung your leg over the backseat, feeling a bit more bolstered by the fact that you seemed to be in tacit agreement not to mention last night. That is, until your thighs were straddling his hips and you discovered there was little option but to feel the heat of his body against yours. Wishing for any dormant telepathic abilities to suddenly surface, you silently willed him to understand that it was only out of sheer necessity that you were practically on top of him.

“The helmet okay?” He turned his head to the side to speak.

“I think so.”

He twisted in his seat, double-checking your helmet. The visor shielding your face did little to dull the effect of having his face so close to yours.

He held out a black backpack. “You mind keeping this on your back? It’s not bulky, but I don’t want anything on me if you’re going to be holding on to me.”

“Sure.” You slipped on the backpack.

“All good?”

You nodded. Twisting back around, he secured his own helmet and said a little more loudly so you could hear, “You might want to hold on,” before revving the engine.

The motorcycle roared to life beneath you, startling you. Warily, you slid your arms around Steve’s middle, unable to ignore the tautness of his stomach and back.

You felt more than heard his chuckle. “I’m not going to bite,” he said dryly. “If you don’t want to go flying off the back once we get moving, you might want to hold on a little tighter than that.”

Reluctantly, you scooted closer, arms wrapping more firmly around his middle and thighs pressing closer. You were practically a koala up in the trees with the way you were wrapped around him. You only hoped he couldn’t feel the thundering of your heart through the back of his shirt. You also wished he didn’t smell so good. Like leather and cologne and man.

“Hold on,” he said, and the engine roared again and the seat rumbled beneath you as he pulled away from the curb. You yelped, reflexively squeezing his waist and thighs like your life depended on it.

You felt another deep chuckle from him, and it managed to tug at something low in your belly even as you held on for dear life.

With cool expertise, Steve deftly navigated the city streets as you took in the sights and sounds and basked in the sensation of the wind against your skin. You relaxed against him as much as the ride allowed, grateful for the helmet obscuring your head that prevented you from doing something stupid like resting your chin on his shoulder. As it was, you were already dealing with the impossible endeavor of ignoring the very hard, very male body pressed up against your front.

“You doing okay back there?” he asked at a stoplight.

“Yeah,” you replied, hit with an unexpected rush of freedom from riding in the open air. “I can see why you like taking the bike to the compound now.”

“I didn’t realize you had doubts before. Have I successfully made a convert out of you, then?”

“Well, I think it’s probably too soon to say. This is only my first time after a—aah!” The light had turned green and you were once again on the move, forcing your slightly slackened grip around Steve to tighten.

Before long, you were pulling up in front of a four-story brick building. Steve cut the engine and you dismounted with shaky legs, feeling like you’d just gotten off a ride at the amusement park. After pulling off the helmet, you shook out your hair and exhaled a rush of air.

“That was…exhilarating.”

Steve kicked out the kickstand, eyes flickering up at you through his visor. After fastening his helmet to the cable lock, he took the backpack and stored your helmet in its proper compartment before slinging the bag over one shoulder. You followed him into the school, eventually landing in the arts wing. Students and adults milled about in the lobby area, where an array of original artwork was displayed on modular walls that decorated the space, making it look like an art gallery.

“You really went all out for this fundraiser,” you said as you took in the scene.

“People understand that others are more likely to buy something if the space they’re in also has its own aesthetic value. The parents know that, and they take full advantage of it.” He gestured up ahead to where light spilled out from an open door. “That’s my classroom.”

He led you to a table near the front where you would help out with payments if necessary. A man and several other women were already there, and it didn’t escape your notice how the women openly gawked as you and Steve approached.

“Julianne, how are you? How’s Gerald doing? I heard about him from Kingston. It’s terrible, what happened,” Steve said smoothly, a crease of concern lining his forehead.

Julianne quickly recovered. “Oh, he’s doing better now, thankfully. It was a lot of bed rest, but he’s been up on the move a lot lately.” Her bright eyes, strangely eager, moved to you. “I see you brought a newcomer with you.”

“Right.” Steve turned to you. “This is Julianne. Her son Kingston’s in my class. She helps out a lot around here.” He then introduced you to the others, though some of them were busy with their allotted tasks.

While they were preoccupied, Steve turned to you and lowered his voice, nodding over to where people were perusing the artwork. “I’m going to head over there. I don’t know exactly how long I’m going to be, but if you decide you want to leave early, you’re free to go whenever, you know, take the subway if you want.” You nodded, and from the way he stepped closer, you had the wild and sudden notion that he’d chosen that moment of all moments to bring up what had happened the previous night. Instead, he simply said, “If you need help with anything, I’m sure they’ll be willing to help. They’re pretty nice folks.”

You couldn’t think with him so close. With a quick nod, you backed away and rounded the table, taking a seat next to Julianne. Steve remained where he was, watching you go, an indecipherable look on his face.

Julianne, who’d just finished helping someone, plopped back down in her seat. “We’ll take good care of her, Mr. Rogers.”

He threw out a low wave. “It’s Steve.” The polite half smile he’d mustered for Julianne grew strained when his eyes moved over to you, and then he turned to leave in the other direction.

“No matter how many times he insists, it’ll still feel weird,” Julianne said once he was gone.

“Sorry?” You’d been too distracted watching him go.

“Calling him by his first name. It’s just one of those things. I can’t do it with my son’s teachers. So how do you know Mr. Rogers?”

“Oh, I…we sort of have mutual friends.”

“Oh.” You could tell she wanted you to say more. When you didn’t, she coaxed, “He’s really handsome, isn’t he?”

“Um…yeah, he is.” You had no idea how else to answer.

“You’re really lucky, you know,” she said, leaning in like it was a secret. “None of us have any idea how that man’s still single. We don’t really hear much about him with other women, but then again, we wouldn’t really have any way of knowing. Oh, except for Ms. Carter. We sometimes wonder if she’s managed to snag him. She’d be the envy of the whole PTA if she has.”

The name had your stomach clenching. “Ms. Carter?”

“Yup, Sharon Carter. She teaches social studies, but she’s friends with the drama teacher so she volunteers sometimes for the arts events.”

“So are they…together, then?”

She shrugged. “No one knows. But if they are, she’s a hell of a lucky woman. Matter of fact, plenty of people would love to be in your place, even if it’s just mutual friends.”

“Me?”

“Oh, yeah. He’s well-liked around here, but he’s also kind of intimidating. Some of the single parents have tried to get with him, but he must have crazy high standards or something because not one of them has ever succeeded. And it’s not like some of the women around here are anything to sneeze at, you know what I mean?”

You didn’t, but you could probably guess. A man like him was probably flooded with female attention. You wanted to roll your eyes.

_How cliché._

Over the next half hour you were occupied with your duties, making conversation with Julianne and a few others here and there, all of whom were equally interested in inquiring after your nonexistent relationship with Steve.

You were talking with Julianne and the woman next to her when their attention moved to something past your shoulder. Following their gaze, you were unprepared to find Sharon crossing the lobby, easy confidence in her every step.

“Well, there she is,” Julianne murmured. “Ten bucks says she’s on her way over to Mr. Rogers.”

Sure enough, after greeting a few people here and there, she stopped right behind Steve, who was in conversation with one of the parents. She touched his arm to announce her presence and when he turned, you didn’t miss the way his eyebrows lifted in something you interpreted as pleasant surprise.

“And there it is,” Julianne said before turning back to her conversation with the woman next to her.

It wasn’t like you wanted to watch the two of them together, but they were directly in your line of sight. A lump formed in your throat at the perfect picture they painted and your stomach roiled.

Why did you care? Worse, what right did you have to do so when you’d all but turned him down the night before? If he turned to her instead, it would be something largely of your own making. But at the memory of Lila’s birthday party and how they’d seldom left the other’s side, your heart twisted. If he was turning to her, he’d only be pursuing something that had likely been there long before you ever came into the picture. Maybe it was you who was the interloper.

You didn’t have the right to care, nor did you have the right to feel like something inside you was splitting open at the sight of them together. And your wolf certainly didn’t have the right to be overcome with the primal urge to march over there and wrench the other woman away from him, teeth bared.

You averted your gaze and busied yourself, almost feeling overwhelmed by the raw heat slithering over your entire body. You felt like you were swimming in a sea of lava.

You shouldn’t have cared. You didn’t care.

_But by God_, you thought as foolish tears pricked at your eyes, _I do care. I really fucking care._

You’d pushed him away the night before out of fear. Fear that he had no idea what he was talking about and that his urges truly were just born out of wolf biology, fear that he did know what he was talking about and that his feelings ran deeper than you ever could’ve realized. But when faced with the very real prospect of him choosing another wolf, another woman that wasn’t you, you were imbued with the unmanageable feeling of loss and deep regret.

Maybe that was it, then. You’d made your bed, and now you had to lie in it.

They talked a while longer, still in plain view. Then Sharon was off in the other direction with another lingering touch to his arm, and you were only marginally comforted by the fact that he made no move to return the gesture. He did, however, turn his head and caught your gaze head on.

Time came to a standstill as you looked back, but then your eyes flickered away and you pretended to be busy with something. And when you dared to look back up, he’d already gone.

You’d almost put him out of your mind until a girl of either twelve or thirteen approached.

“Are you Mr. Rogers’s girlfriend?” she asked without preamble. Her tone was curious and without malicious intent.

“What?” you said, caught off guard. “Oh, no. No, I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Oh.” She giggled. “Everyone thinks you are.”

“What? Why?”

“He keeps looking at you like you are.” She looked over her shoulder and you followed her gaze. Steve was currently busy with a couple of adults, very much not looking at you. The girl turned back around and shrugged. “When you’re not looking, at least. You should date him. You’d make a cute couple.” Then she pranced away without another word, nor a care in the world.

  


* * *

  


You ended up staying the whole time and rode back with Steve. The mood was subdued, and there was little to be said as you cruised the city streets. The horns honked and the lights twinkled and there was so much you wanted to see and feel and all the while, you imagined what it would be like to hold the man in front of you not out of sheer necessity but out of nothing but want and convey to him all the emotions pouring through you that you weren’t brave enough to say out loud.

He was tenser than before, too. His grip around the handlebars seemed tighter and the stiffness of his posture wasn’t owed simply to the hard muscle his body packed. There was much left unspoken, lingering in the widening chasm between you in the chilly air as the celestial splashes of pink and orange gave way to dusk.

It was similarly quiet on the elevator ride up. You were leaned up against the wall and Steve was facing straight ahead when his phone rang.

“Yeah,” he said by way of greeting. He remained silent as the person on the other end spoke before his brows furrowed. “What? You’re sure?” Again, silence. “Don’t tell me Robbie was the one that started it.” He listened again before sighing. “That little shit. I warned him this would happen. All right, send me the details. I’ll see what I can do about heading over there.” He hung up.

“What is it?”

“Looks like I’m going to be heading to Montana tomorrow,” he said, typing something on his phone.

“Montana? What’s going on?”

“There’s a pack of shifters over there that’ve gotten themselves in hot water from the sound of it. I go way back with them and they’ve helped me out over the years, and I told them I’d return the favor if they ever needed it. Looks like they decided to cash it in.”

“Is it something serious?”

“Not yet. I need to go over there and smooth things out with one of their rival packs before things get out of hand and more people get hurt.”

“You have that kind of pull over there?”

He shrugged offhandedly. “And several other places.”

It started to grow quiet again, so you spoke before the lull could get too heavy. “So when do you have to leave, then?”

“I’ll have to find a flight that leaves after school gets out. Thankfully, it’ll be Friday so I won’t have to worry about getting back on time.”

You nodded, looking away. You could feel his gaze.

“I’m wondering if it’s the best idea for me to leave, though,” he said, voice pitched low.

“Why?”

“Tony did task me with the job of…babysitting you, didn’t he?” He said the word sarcastically.

You kicked yourself up from the wall. “I think I’ll be fine by myself for a couple nights.”

The elevator arrived at the penthouse and you swiftly entered the foyer with Steve following close behind.

“Besides,” you added, “Natasha will be staying over for the weekend anyway. I’ll be perfectly fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure, Steve. Besides, I’ll also be—I mean. Never mind.” You quickly tried to backtrack and failed miserably.

His brows knitted together. “You’ll also be what?”

“Nothing. Never mind.” You started for your room.

“No, tell me. What were you going to say?”

You sighed and slowly spun to face him. “It’s not a big deal. I was just going to say that I’ll also be with Stephen tomorrow. I’m going out with him again, so I’m sure I’ll be safe with him. You have nothing to worry about.”

His eyes immediately grew dark. “You’re going out with him again?”

“Yes. I am,” you answered shortly. “Why does it matter?” You turned for your room. “Goodnight.”

A strong hand wrapped around your bicep, halting you in your tracks. “Hey—”

You whirled on him. “If you’re about to tell me who I can or can’t go out with, you can forget it. That’s not your place.”

“Not my place?” He moved closer, crowding you with his bulky form. “I’d say the fact that you’re in my apartment precisely because of your safety makes it at least partly my place.”

“Don’t act like it’s my safety you’re worried about here, Steve. Not with this. Your wolf hears I’m going out with another Alpha and it’s just jealous that the Alpha isn’t you. It’s like we said last night, remember? Just biology. So you don’t have to pretend to care or anything. In fact, you not caring is exactly what I’m used to.”

He flinched at that, and you almost felt guilty. But it was true, wasn’t it? For as long as you’d known him, he’d led you to believe he couldn’t care less about you.

His usually composed features were twisted up, giving him the air of some sort of statue depicting an avenging Greek god, and you weren’t sure if he was going to say anything in return.

“Just biology,” he repeated in a dull tone, more in agreement than in disbelief.

You shook your head. You didn’t want to end the evening with him like this. Reaching down, you pried his fingers off of your arm, expecting there to be a struggle. But it wasn’t long after your hand touched his that his grip turned pliant. His eyes flew down to where you touched.

“Safe travels to Montana,” you said, all the fight gone from your voice. “Goodnight, Steve.” Unable to look at his face, you left him in the foyer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive the sparse updates. It's mostly writer's block that's kicking my ass. *weary sigh* Let's hope it changes! As for the smut, you've all been such saints for being so patient. It's coming soon, I assure you...not in the next chapter, but most likely the next...


	11. If You Can't Stand the Heat

Steve had already left for the airport by the time you were strolling through Central Park with Natasha, Wanda, and Vision, the latter of whom had arrived earlier in the day. You’d decided to hang around the penthouse until Steve’s departure because you figured it’d probably come off as somewhat rude if you weren’t there to see off the man whose place you were currently dwelling in. He’d stopped by after school to pick up his weekender bag and greeted you reservedly, doing a double-take as his eyes slid over your form. The gesture wasn’t sexual in nature, but it still had your increasingly aching body feeling all of a sudden flushed of its own volition.

“You’re not dressed,” he’d said plainly.

Your eyebrows knitted in response. You were very much dressed. A v-neck and jeans, nothing remarkable, but dressed nonetheless.

“For your date,” he’d amended. “With Strange.” Both his speech and face were conspicuously devoid of emotion.

“It’s not until tonight,” you’d replied in kind, refusing to give him anything else.

He slowly stalked toward you with predatory grace. You were leaned up against the wall by the elevator with your arms folded in an affected casual demeanor. Mercifully, he stopped a good few feet away. Without bothering to mask the action, he let his hooded blue eyes drop down your body again. You tried not to squirm.

He wasn’t saying anything. He wasn’t saying anything at all—

“I’ll be back Sunday. Call me if you need anything. I mean it.”

Then he’d turned and left without a second glance.

The bastard.

“I’m afraid there’s been no news concerning your current predicament,” Vision informed you as the four of you strolled through the park.

“It’s just strange, isn’t it? How there’s been nothing to track or go after. What if what happened to me actually was random after all and not targeted specifically at me? Unless they really are after me but have no idea how to find me and the city really is providing good cover.”

“If that is the case, then I’m afraid the most sensible course of action is for you to remain here with Steve until the alleged suspect is discovered and apprehended.”

You groaned. “This is just so frustrating. If we at least had even the slightest inkling of what could be going on, I might be able to rest easier. But as it is, I have no idea how long I might wind up being here. Not that I don’t like being here, but—”

“We know.” Natasha nodded her understanding. “It’s not easy being in the dark like this. But if you being here has helped in any way, I guess at least we’re able to provide that. Steve’s not so bad to live with, is he?”

“He’s fine,” you said, not knowing how else to answer. “That’s not really the problem. I do have a question, though.” You hesitated. “Has he always been this…intense?”

“Intense?” Natasha snorted. “Intense is the man’s middle name. I mean, he’s not like that all the time, but he is known for having a pretty serious streak.”

“Huh,” you said more to yourself. “That’s what I thought.”

“But you know, since you brought it up and all…I think a few people around here have caught on to how he’s been intense in a somewhat…different way since you’ve been here.”

“Different.”

“Like he’s constantly on edge. In wait of something.”

“Mm,” Wanda chimed in. “And yet, it’s also somehow the opposite, don’t you think? Like he’s a little more at ease. With…the world.” She shrugged.

“Told you he needed a feminine touch around here,” Natasha remarked.

“It’s sad, but…he’s always seemed a little lonely to me,” Wanda said. “You’d think a guy like him would have no problem finding companionship, but I think that’s just it. He doesn’t really look for it even though there are hundreds who’d kill to fill that role. He’s very careful about who he lets in. He’d kill me for saying this, but I think he just needs to find someone. The right someone.”

Unbidden, a sense of quiet anguish tore through you. You’d never put it into words, but a deep-seated part of you had already recognized something in Steve because it mirrored your own. Loneliness. You had the pack, which mitigated the loneliness ever since your parents died, but as an Omega, you were more predisposed toward needing a mate. Your true mate. A companion. And as the natural other half of the equation, Alphas were much the same.

You’d always resented it, being compelled by wolf biology to need a mate. You didn’t want to need anyone. It was frightening to have to entrust that level of vulnerability to another person for the sake of your wellbeing. You needed it to be a choice.

Sorrowfully, you wondered how just how lonely Steve was and how long he had been so. Yet another part of you wondered about Sharon, the one he talked so easily to, the one he didn’t hesitate to spend time with. She’d been there all that time for him to claim if a mate was really what he sought.

_But he hasn’t_, a gut-deep voice inside you whispered. _Because the mate he really wants is_—

“I know how old he really is.”

All three gazes turned toward you.

“I know he was born in 1918.”

They didn’t react overtly, making you believe it hadn’t really been some groundbreaking secret after all. Instead, their expressions turned contemplative.

“So you know, then,” Natasha murmured.

“Is it true not a lot of people know?”

“Yeah, but I suppose you wouldn’t be so quick to advertise it either if you were in the same boat.”

“So he’s, what, just over a hundred? I can’t even imagine. What must it be like to have lived through so much, to have seen so many changes? To still look that young yet, I’m assuming, feel so old? I mean, what does that do to a person?”

“Your guess is as good as ours. He’s not exactly an open book when it comes to that sort of thing,” Natasha said.

“Do you know how he was turned?”

She and Wanda exchanged glances. “Vaguely. Something about a government experiment in the ’40s. There are some things he keeps in a lockbox to himself, but what we do know in all our time with him as our Alpha makes up for it some. He’s a good Alpha. Someone we can trust in.”

“In other words, you couldn’t have picked a better Alpha to come stay with,” Wanda said in an attempt at reassurance.

Except you hadn’t picked him, and he hadn’t picked you.

“And he’s never found his mate?” you asked quietly, afraid to know the answer.

Natasha considered it. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s been in other relationships in all the years he’s been alive. But no. He hasn’t found his true mate.”

“He’d outlive her, wouldn’t he? Because of the effects of the experiment in the ’40s in addition to his shifter lifespan? He’ll outlive all of us.”

She nodded slowly, hands clasped behind her back, and said simply, “He will.”

  


* * *

  


“What do you think?” You did a quick spin in your red and black cocktail dress for Natasha where she lounged on the couch painting her nails. She’d already settled in at Steve’s while Vision and Wanda hung back at their apartment.

She looked you over approvingly. “Well, check you out. Is that new?”

“Got it today. It’s not too much?”

“Might be too much for Strange when he’s trying to pry it off you in the bedroom.”

“Natasha!”

“Am I wrong?”

You were unable to contain your amusement. “What about you, any plans tonight?”

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. Did have ’em, but they fell through. Guy I was supposed to see’s flying back to Denmark tonight and I don’t feel like doing anything else. Looks like I’ll be all by my lonesome tonight.”

“Well, I think being alone with only yourself as company is more than just fine, Natasha Romanoff.”

“You flatter me.”

With a lengthy exhale, you double-checked your reflection in one of the mirrors along the wall. Your stomach was fluttering heavily with nervous anticipation. In five minutes, Stephen was supposed to meet you downstairs in the lobby after which you’d head off to dinner before spending a night at the symphony.

It was growing increasingly difficult to ignore what a large part of you had known deep down all along. That you were going out with another man in the hopes of forgetting about the one you truly wanted.

You gussied yourself up in front of the mirror, intent on distracting yourself from your thoughts. You were in the middle of fixing your hair when a sudden throbbing heat erupted in the pit of your belly, pulsing and blossoming all the way out to your extremities as though carried by electric currents. The sheer force of it had you staggering back a step before turning stock-still for fear of making it worse, but the pulsing didn’t subside.

“Natasha?”

“Hm?” came her distracted reply.

“You’ve gone through heats, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“What are the symptoms?”

You could feel her sharp gaze at your back. “You’ve never gone through heat before?”

Jerkily, you shook your head. The intense heat, though felt everywhere, was concentrated mostly around the middle. Or rather, right below the middle. They were the severe, pervasive kind of cramps that could accompany periods. As you stood, the throbbing came in waves, ebbing and flowing until you almost thought you had a handle on it, but the heat always remained. You had to brace yourself on the accent table below the mirror.

“Maybe it’s not that, though,” you said with naive optimism. “It’s probably just my period. I’ll just take some ibuprofen with me tonight.” You crossed to the kitchen in search of the pills, trying to mask your stilted movements.

“I can’t know for sure ’cause heats are different for everyone,” Natasha treaded lightly. She was sat up straight on the couch at full attention. “On average, though, you’re typically hot for three days before, and the heat itself lasts three days. But that first initial heat can sneak up on you and is known for showing up without warning. Symptoms of onset usually include intense cramping and, well, heat. Everywhere. In the beginning it comes and goes, but as the heat draws closer, the cramping and body temperature rise to almost unbearable levels. And when an unmated Omega’s in heat, it triggers any unmated Alphas within a certain distance to go into rut, and it’s not unheard of for Alphas to rip each other’s throats out just for the opportunity to mate with the Omega. There’s also…slick. And lots of it. Alphas can scent it.”

“Well, then, I should be okay, right?” you asked as you rifled through the cabinets. “There’s no, um, there’s no slick. And the pain isn’t unbearable or anything. It’s probably just my period.”

“I should also mention that an oncoming heat also includes the mindless need for—how do I put this delicately—copulation. And that’s before you’re even in the full grips of it. Shifters in heat are overcome with lust so intense it overpowers the need or ability to think of anything else. You’d need someone to take care of those needs, and fast. In your case, they’d be best fulfilled by an Alpha. And since you’re an Omega, you’d need to take his knot, and he’d need to give it to you just as much.”

“His _what_?” Your falsely calm demeanor shattered at the new bit of information.

She gave a mild grimace. “We shift into wolves. It can’t be all that big of a surprise.”

You resumed your frantic search. “Natasha, I don’t even know half this stuff. I can’t even find the pills. I’m supposed to be meeting Stephen in—” You glanced at the time. “Now.”

“You’re still going out with him?” she asked in disbelief.

“Look, best case scenario is this isn’t actually my heat and it’s just ridiculously wild period cramps, and worst case scenario is this _is_ my heat but I don’t go into actual heat tonight. I don’t have any of the other symptoms you talked about, so I think I’m okay.”

“But like I said, it’s different for everyone.”

“It’ll be fine, Natasha.”

“I don’t know…”

At last, you located the medicine. Snatching the bottle, you read the dosage instructions, poured a couple of pills into your palm, and swallowed them down with water before stashing the bottle in your clutch. It didn’t seem likely that you’d be out with Stephen long enough before it was appropriate to take them again, but it never hurt to be on the safe side.

“It’ll all be okay,” you repeated.

“Sure, I guess. If this really is your heat and you don’t mind Strange being the one to take care of you if it comes down to it.” She watched for your response carefully.

“He’s…more than fine.” Swallowing thickly, you made haste for the elevator. “Besides, even if I do go into heat while I’m with him, I’ll need an Alpha and he’ll be the only one around. And I don’t mind him. Not at all. He’s healthy, attractive, strong. I like him. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Natasha hurried to follow you to the elevator as you stepped in. “I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do.”

“Text me if anything changes!” she managed to get in just before the doors closed.

As soon as you were alone, you collapsed against the wall for support, basking in the cool air that wafted your way as you fanned yourself.

All too soon, the elevator opened up to the lobby and you were taking a quick moment to collect yourself before exiting. Stephen waited in the seating area, just having put his phone away in the pocket of his suit jacket when he saw you. He rose steadily, eyes gliding up and down your form as you approached.

He greeted you with a kiss to the cheek. “You look ravishing.”

“So do you.”

You were slightly out of breath from your prompt departure from the penthouse. You were overcome with the sudden urgency to get through the date as fast as humanly possible and hightail it out of there immediately after.

“Utterly ravishing,” he said, and in spite of yourself, the butterflies made a swift reappearance in your now mildly cramping belly at his fixed gaze.

“Are you ready to go? I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long. I lost something and I had to look for it real quick,” you said.

“Not at all. I showed up about five minutes early and was able to find a bit of amusement in observing the people coming and going.”

“Anything interesting?”

“Nothing that doesn’t reaffirm the preconceived notions I have of people in general.” He offered his arm. “Shall we?”

You took his arm, glad to have something to steady yourself with, and made your way out of the building together into the cool evening air. You reached his fancy black sports car, which you knew absolutely nothing about, and thanked him when he opened the door for you. You took the opportunity while he was crossing to the driver’s side to quickly dab at your heated face with the tissue in your clutch. He flashed a rakish smile once he was in and started the ignition, and then you were off.

“Do you mind if we turn on the AC for a bit? I’m just a little warm,” you said.

“Not at all.” He adjusted the settings, and you had to keep yourself from fully leaning in toward the steady blasts of cool air coming from the vents.

“How was your day?” he asked conversationally.

“Oh, just like any other day. I spent a little time at the gym, hung out with Natasha and Wanda. Vision, Wanda’s mate, is also here for the weekend. Do you know Vision?”

“Vision, from your pack?”

You nodded.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t. I’m not very familiar with many shifters outside the area.”

“Oh. Well, apparently, the reverse isn’t true. It seems many people know of you in this region and beyond.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, you seem to have picked up something of a reputation around these parts,” you teased.

“Have I?” He sounded mildly amused. “Well, must be doing something right, then.”

“Or something wrong.”

“Is that what you think?” He turned from the road to meet your eye, mischief glinting in his own.

“Dr. Strange, I must inform you that I am a neutral party here. I am not here to offer my personal opinion on these matters.”

He turned back to the road, the smile lingering in his eyes. “Dr. Strange,” he repeated, deep voice rumbling. “You might want to refrain from calling me that before I decide I like it too much.”

You turned your face away, managing a secret smile toward the window where cars and people flitted past.

Dinner was a sumptuous affair. You pretended to have any sort of clue of what half the stuff on the menu was and ate and drank your fill. Stephen was charming as expected, and the throbbing in your belly had subsided for the moment. Your body wasn’t so flushed with inescapable heat, and you were enjoying yourself. All was well.

After dinner, the two of you headed off to the Lincoln Center. Before you took your seats, you excused yourself to the restroom while he waited in the lobby.

You splashed your face with cold water and refrained from pacing back and forth hunched over due to the other inhabitants in the room. The heat had come back with a vengeance upon your arrival until it turned nearly suffocating. You were grateful at least for the dress that kept your legs uncovered. You didn’t know what you would’ve done had you worn a long dress and felt the urge to shuck up the skirt every other second.

“Are you okay?”

You turned to find a small elderly woman eyeing you with more curiosity than concern.

“I’m fine, thank you.” You attempted a polite smile.

“I saw you with that man out there in the lobby. The one with the dark hair and goatee. Devilishly handsome. Is he your beau?”

You fumbled for an answer before deciding on, “Not exactly. We’re just here on a date.”

“Well, count your blessings. If I were thirty years younger…. Hey, you sure you’re okay? You look like you’re about to pass right out.”

_Oh, shit._

“You want me to go get your date for you?”

“No, no, thank you, that won’t be necessary. I’m fine, I just need some fresh air for a bit, that’s all.”

“Well, I’ll tell you, you ain’t going to find it here.” With that, she ambled away for the exit.

After gaining your bearings, you reentered the lobby and found Stephen, a labored smile pinching at your mouth. “Sorry for the wait. I’m ready now.”

As you entered the house, you could feel Stephen’s gaze.

“Forgive me, but I have to ask, are you feeling all right?”

You turned to him in restrained alarm. “Yes, of course. Why?”

“I only ask because you seem a bit…flushed.”

“Oh, yeah, I-I think it’s the heat. I’ve just been a little hot all day. Maybe I am starting to come down with something.” You chuckled weakly in an effort to downplay it.

“Hm.” His watchful gaze remained on you as you took your seats in the orchestra section. The din of chatter filled the theater as people filed in and waited for the performance to begin.

Just then, your phone sounded with a text. Peeking with the phone popped halfway out of your clutch, you saw the text was from Natasha.

_Any updates?_

You glanced at Stephen to find him already looking on.

“Sorry,” you said guiltily. “It’s just Natasha.”

“Is something the matter?”

“No, no, just…uh…”

“You can answer it. Promise I won’t hold it against you.” His slight amicable smile seemed genuine as he returned to the program in his hand.

As quickly as you could, you shot back a text saying everything was all right before putting the phone on silent and stashing it away. “So sorry. I hate when people do that.”

“People texting you on dates or…”

“People using their phone on dates.”

“Well,” he started in a reassuring tone, “there are always some circumstances that allow for a little more leeway. You’re sure everything’s all right?”

You gave what you hoped was a convincing smile and nod, though it didn’t stop him from eyeing you. Then he appeared to shake his head clear of something.

“You know, I have to say, I’m a little surprised Rogers allowed you to come out with me tonight.”

Your smile grew tight. “Well, he doesn’t allow me to do anything,” you said meaningfully.

“Of course. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just that given the circumstances, you’d think he’d be a little more discerning about who you spend your time with. After all, hasn’t the Alpha of your pack entrusted your safety with him?”

“Are you saying I should be worried about you?”

His answering smile was feline-like, his voice lowered so only you could hear. “When it comes to your safety, most certainly not. When it comes to other matters, those of the more…pleasurable variety, for instance…perhaps you should.”

To your embarrassment, the dull but ever present pulsing ache in your belly flowed to the more sensitive area of your nether regions, and you had to shift in your seat. It didn’t escape Stephen’s notice.

“I guess Steve’s got a reasonable enough say in what I do given the circumstances, but other than that, he has no say in my personal life,” you said.

“Mm. I should hope not. Tell me, has he made any effort at all to court you? To claim you as his?”

You were taken aback by the bold question.

“Because if he hasn’t, when he’s had you right under his nose this whole time…I can’t decide if that makes him a saint or the stupidest man in the world.”

You turned away. You didn’t want to talk about Steve. You wanted to be reminded not one bit of the Alpha your wolf…and you…truly howled for. The one your wolf had known all along you wanted more than you’d ever wanted anything.

In an instant, the shame hit you like a freight train. What in the world were you doing out on a date with another Alpha you knew in the deepest recesses of your being you would never truly accept? Things may never have worked out with Steve, but that didn’t mean Stephen was deserving of being used like that. The guilt was impossible to swallow down.

But then another part of you questioned, _Well, it’s only natural, isn’t it? To move on with another person? It’s not exactly using him._

Except there wasn’t exactly anything to move on from, and you were with him even knowing beforehand, however subconsciously, that he wasn’t the one you truly wanted.

No.

With a focus clearer than you’d felt since the painful cramps had begun, you resolved to make it through the rest of the night before breaking things off cleanly with him. You only hoped he would understand. It was only the second date after all.

“Steve has no interest in me in that way,” you said with difficulty. “Not really.”

“His loss,” Stephen murmured heatedly.

You were saved from response when the portly man next to you stumbled on his way up from his seat, in turn causing you to reflexively edge closer to Stephen.

And that was when you felt it. A silky secretion flowing straight from your nether regions, fluid and warm.

You hoped to heaven and back it was your period.

You made to move away, but Stephen had taken hold of your arm. He leaned in slowly, carefully, until his nose ghosted over your hair. You could feel the deliberate inhale of breath over the strands.

“Your scent.” His voice was rough, deeper than usual. “It’s almost tangible. Like I can taste it. It’s…delectable.”

Your eyes were wide as saucers as you attempted to pull away, but his grip was too strong. You glanced around, but no one was paying any mind. The low, rumbling growl at your ear forced your attention back to him.

Terrified of what you’d find, you twisted your neck reluctantly to find his face inches from yours, his teeth bared, his eyes dark and hungry and fierce.

“_Omega._”


End file.
